The Governance of Socio-Technical Systems

Why are so few electric cars in our streets today? Why is it difficult to introduce electronic patient records in our hospitals? To answer these questions we need to understand how state and non-state actors interact with the purpose of transforming socio-technical systems. Examining the 'who' (agents), 'how' (policy instruments) and 'why' (societal legitimacy) of the governance process, this book presents a conceptual framework for the governance of change in socio-technical systems. Bridging the gap between disciplinary fields, expert contributions provide innovative empirical cases of different modes of governing change. The Governance of Socio-Technical Systems offers a stepping-stone towards building a theory of governance of change and presents a new research agenda on the interaction between science, technology and society. This book will appeal to scholars in the fields of political science, economics, STS and innovation studies, who are interested in the processes of socio-technical change, their democratic legitimacy, and the governance of grand societal challenges.