Assessing the Impact of Triple Helix Intermediaries within Circular Economy Oriented Protected Space Networks: A Methodological Overview

The transition to circular economy offers a solution to the challenges of rapid population growth, economic stagnation and environmental degradation. A promising policy tool for accelerating such a transition is Strategic... [ view full abstract ]

The transition to circular economy offers a solution to the challenges of rapid population growth, economic stagnation and environmental degradation. A promising policy tool for accelerating such a transition is Strategic Niche Management (SNM), the central tenet of which is the formation of ‘protected space’ networks to support the growth of sustainable innovation. Studies have demonstrated that current top-down policy approaches to governing protected spaces have led to the unintended consequences of network tensions, low quality learning processes and low innovation adoption rates outside protected spaces. This limits the impact of SNM as a transition tool. This paper introduces a novel devolved governance framework for protected spaces in the context of transition to circular economy. The framework addresses current limitations of SNM by acknowledging the synergistic relationship with the triple helix innovation system; and innovation intermediation. In order to empirically assess the outcome of such a policy framework, a case study on the Scottish industrial biotechnology protected space was undertaken between September 2016 and May 2017. The aim of this paper is to outline the novel methodological technique developed to assess the impact of triple helix intermediaries within circular economy protected space networks. The methodology involves a combination of a complete social network analysis of the network and a novel technique to measure the impact a triple helix intermediary has had on the network with regards to its alignment with the circular economy trajectory. The proposed methodology is sought to shed more light on the complexities of innovation networks than traditional methods and offers a useful monitoring tool for policy makers to empirically assess the effects of policy interventions on innovation networks. By doing so, the proposed methodology lays bare the salient features of transition to a circular economy which is likely to involve the strengthening, nurturing and empowering of multiple circular economy oriented protected spaces.

Key Words: Circular Economy, Strategic Niche Management, Triple Helix, Social Network Analysis