TY - GEN
T1 - Policy Innovation Journeys & Transformative Capacities: Insights From Future‐proofing Food Systems Across Europe
AU - Wagner, Petra
AU - Kok, Kristiaan P.W.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - In light of tackling some of the worlds most pressing problems and fostering transformations towards
sustainable and just societies, it is increasingly acknowledged that there is the need to develop
transformative innovation policies. Thus, there is the need to better understand, and start
experimenting with, novel ways of `making and doing´ innovation policies. In this paper we contribute
to this debate by conceptualize such experimentation processes as innovation journeys, and we
explore how innovation journeys can best be designed for policy practitioners. In particular, we zoom
in on transformative capacity building along innovation journeys to enable policy practitioners to codesign
with diverse stakeholders at the fuzzy front end of complex R&I policy design. Empirically, we
explore the policy innovation journeys of 11 so called `Policy Labs´. These Policy Labs were established
as part of the (Horizon 2020 funded) FIT4FOOD2030 project (2017‐2020) that aimed to contribute to
food system transformation in the European Union. They were embedded in national ministries
dealing with food systems research and innovation and brought together a wide variety of
stakeholders from society, research and policy in efforts to develop novel policy instruments,
strategies or practices. In our analysis, we aim to unravel some key insights from these Policy Lab
journeys by exploring in more detail 1) the multi‐dimensional design of the Policy Lab process; and 2)
how policy practitioners navigated these innovation journeys. In our discussion we elaborate on the
role of context and contingency in shaping the innovation dynamics, as well as the role of learning and
reflexivity in building more profound, i.e. transformative capacities at various levels of agency. By
analyzing the innovation journeys of the FIT4FOOD2030 Policy Labs as processes of transformative
capacity building, we hope to advance the debate on the challenges and opportunities of doing
transformative innovation policy.
AB - In light of tackling some of the worlds most pressing problems and fostering transformations towards
sustainable and just societies, it is increasingly acknowledged that there is the need to develop
transformative innovation policies. Thus, there is the need to better understand, and start
experimenting with, novel ways of `making and doing´ innovation policies. In this paper we contribute
to this debate by conceptualize such experimentation processes as innovation journeys, and we
explore how innovation journeys can best be designed for policy practitioners. In particular, we zoom
in on transformative capacity building along innovation journeys to enable policy practitioners to codesign
with diverse stakeholders at the fuzzy front end of complex R&I policy design. Empirically, we
explore the policy innovation journeys of 11 so called `Policy Labs´. These Policy Labs were established
as part of the (Horizon 2020 funded) FIT4FOOD2030 project (2017‐2020) that aimed to contribute to
food system transformation in the European Union. They were embedded in national ministries
dealing with food systems research and innovation and brought together a wide variety of
stakeholders from society, research and policy in efforts to develop novel policy instruments,
strategies or practices. In our analysis, we aim to unravel some key insights from these Policy Lab
journeys by exploring in more detail 1) the multi‐dimensional design of the Policy Lab process; and 2)
how policy practitioners navigated these innovation journeys. In our discussion we elaborate on the
role of context and contingency in shaping the innovation dynamics, as well as the role of learning and
reflexivity in building more profound, i.e. transformative capacities at various levels of agency. By
analyzing the innovation journeys of the FIT4FOOD2030 Policy Labs as processes of transformative
capacity building, we hope to advance the debate on the challenges and opportunities of doing
transformative innovation policy.
M3 - Conference Proceedings with Oral Presentation
BT - Proceedings of EU-SPRI 2021
T2 - EU-SPRI 2021: Science and innovation - an uneasy relationship? Rethinking the roles and relations of STI policies
Y2 - 9 June 2021 through 11 June 2021
ER -