Alumni

Dr. Serdar Turkeli

Thesis:
Governance of Innovation Policy: Empirical studies on applied political economy by multi-method analysis

Year: 2016

Promotor(s):
René Kemp

Abstract:

Innovation policy as output is analysed by ordered logit regressions and set-theoretic analyses under neo-positivist policy analysis approach for the case of generic R&I commodities in the EU-28 for the period 2011-2013. The following factors are revealed as positive determinants of effective R&I policy: positive standalone or interactive role for informal coordination among ministerial institutions, societal interest group consultations, paradigmatic/programmatic ideas applied by sustainability impact assessments and media attention. Innovation policy as a process is analysed by comparative case study and evaluative method within a critical-rationalist policy analysis approach for the case of renewable energy technology, solar PV in the EU/Germany and China/Jiangsu during the last decade. Findings indicate that the politics of purpose (sustainability-oriented development vs. export-oriented development) shapes institutional intelligence throughout three activities: i) identifying the types of barriers to innovation (paradigmatic/programmatic ideas), ii) mixing of demand/supply-side policies (interests) and iii) policy coordination (institutional access to/of ideas/interests). Unforeseen meso or macro-crises (e.g. increase in silicon prices, int'l trade disputes) reintroduce the need for a better policy and institutional intelligence by reexamining the politics of purpose within a global context. Innovation policy as structuration is analysed by exploratory descriptive statistics collected by organic photovoltaics global questionnaire, and by investigatory method using media content under forensic policy analysis approach for the case of emerging energy technology, Organic Solar PV in Northern America, Western Europe, and East Asia. Findings indicate that the interests and ideas of OPV researchers in different world regions reflect institutional archetype characteristics of varieties of capitalism under which they operate. It is also believed that the combination of positive elements of these three world regions could foster the development and commercialisation of OPV technology. Innovation policy as organisation is analysed by case study collection and argumentative method for the case of social innovation in the metropolitan areas of the EU. Findings indicate that different innovation systems’ actors (interests) are invited by institutions in the EU to tackle with societal challenges (ideas) that none of which could address them alone. Emerging inter-systemic interactions among different types of innovation systems on this new ideational content can be argued as constructing a new context, a societal kind of innovation system where nodes are the interactions between ideas and interests, and links are the institutions that bring them together.



Selected publications by Serdar Turkeli

UNU-MERIT