Abstract:

Sustainable technology relies on complex basic science and research policies for long-term innovation. Socio-technological systems around green technology are linked to national sustainable and industrial targets. However, there is no formal model that encompasses various technologies and cross-national sectors, requiring collaboration between new scientific knowledge and sustainable technology. Nevertheless, empirical evidence suggests that such a dynamic is pervasive. The work attempts to address this problem by creating an analytical model that combines innovation policy with scientific research policy. The authors demonstrate the effectiveness of this model by analyzing the cross-sectoral and cross-national dynamics of U.S. and Chinese policies for high energy density lithium-ion battery technologies essential to electric vehicles. The authors apply our model to the case of how China was able to emerge as a frontrunner in commercialization despite the U.S.' early head start by way of ‘legitimate free-riding’ and ‘complex cross-sectional policy’ mechanisms. This case study formalizes new methods for analyzing technological innovation over time, allowing for future application in various cases.