Niches in evolutionary theories of technical change

Abstract

In this article, the use of the niche concept for explaining radical technical change is explored. Contributions of various strands of literatures are elaborated and systematized in a taxonomy. Radical change or technological discontinuity is defined as the establishment of a new sociotechnical regime. Sociotechnical regimes carry and store rules for how to produce, use and regulate specific technologies. They perform the task of genes and define the boundary between technological species. It is proposed that radical change is generated by four different evolutionary mechanisms and patterns: natural selection, punctuated equilibrium, market niche selection, and technological niche selection. In each pattern, a different type of niche is implicated in the change process. The difference between niches results from differentiating between two dimensions: (1) whether niches are internal or external to the prevailing sociotechnical regime; (2) whether rules for design and use of a specific technology are stable or unstable within the niche.

Motives for and barriers to household adoption of small-scale production of electricity: examples from Sweden

“…Niche actors can contribute to changes in practices and routines of existing regime actors (Schot & Geels, 2008). A socio-technical regime is characterized by the set of rules that guide technical design, as well as rules that shape market development such as user preferences and rules for regulating these markets (Schot & Geels 2007). …”

Optimal diversity: Increasing returns versus recombinant innovation

“…For this purpose, governments could use their tool of public investment in R&D and assure that niches with 'deviant' technologies emerge or survive. In particular, governments might promote disparity by funding risky R&D and by facilitating the creation of technological niches (Schot and Geels, 2007).…”

“…The short-term bias in the practice of investment decision making is possibly reinforced by the fact that existing investment theories, models and evaluation techniques are lacking attention to long-term efficiency that takes account of the dynamic character, impact and resulting value of diversity. This does not deny that diversity is recognized as important in innovation studies, but here it is mainly addressed through the descriptive notion of niche markets (e.g., Frenken et al 1999, Tisdell and Seidl 2004, Schot and Geels 2007. A clear perspective on the precise trade-offs at stake when deciding about diversity is missing.…”

‘Vinyl never say die’: The re-incarnation, adoption and diffusion of retro-technologies

“…This calls for technology managers to develop strategies to map out, locate relevant gatherings of these groups, and engage them in ways that provide insights into emerging consumption patterns. Furthermore, our study and its managerial significance complements the increasingly accepted view that cultivating sensitivity to emergent events occurring beyond prevailing socio-technical regimes [72,73], could lead to the identification of opportunities, potentialities, and limits of technological transitions and innovations in emerging niches [74,75]. Obviously, our study is not without limitations, which in turn open up opportunities for further research on the diffusion of retro technologies.…”