Long-term transition governance and regional innovation cultures: A comparative perspective

Many regions face pressures to embark on economic, technological, social, and ecological transitions, which often challenge existing regional identities and governance approaches. This paper examines how two regions – the Rhenish Region, affected by the lignite phase-out, and Heilbronn-Franken, con...

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Main Authors: Cindy Rentrop, Stefan John, Stefan Böschen, Sebastian Pfotenhauer
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: oekom verlag GmbH 2025-06-01
Series:TATuP – Zeitschrift für Technikfolgenabschätzung in Theorie und Praxis
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Online Access:https://www.tatup.de/index.php/tatup/article/view/7203
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Summary:Many regions face pressures to embark on economic, technological, social, and ecological transitions, which often challenge existing regional identities and governance approaches. This paper examines how two regions – the Rhenish Region, affected by the lignite phase-out, and Heilbronn-Franken, confronted with digitalization and global competition in its industrial “Mittelstand” – reconcile long-term transition governance and regional innovation pressures. Despite distinct challenges, both regions share a top-down governance approach, a focus on education and R&D, corporatist actor constellations, dedicated technology implementation strategies, and an emphasis on stability. Within these similarities, socio-economic and cultural differences exist; however, the similarities suggest a mutual learning potential. We propose two levels of reflexivity in long-term governance and argue that these commonalities should be used in national or global strategies for greater inclusivity and effectiveness.
ISSN:2568-020X
2567-8833