Interactions between systemic problems in innovation systems: The case of energy-efficient houses in the Netherlands

- Discussing systemic problems in innovation systems reveals limited conceptual attention for how they interact.
- We argue that analyzing interactions between systemic problems is of key importance for designing intervention strategies.
- This paper presents a case study of the energy-efficient housing innovation system in the Netherlands.
- The analysis shows that direct intervention on all identified problems is ineffective and may even be counterproductive.
- It proposes to use the term blocking mechanism to indicate a 'mechanism' that consists of interacting systemic problems.

The innovation systems approach offers a framework to identify what inhibits the generation, diffusion and implementation of innovations. It prescribes that interventions should target systemic problems that inhibit the system from functioning well. In current literature, systemic problems are typically identified independent from each other, after which interventions are formulated for each one separately. The following will argue that, next to the problems themselves, also the interactions between the problems are of key importance when designing intervention strategies. We analyze the Dutch energy-efficient housing innovation system and conclude that neglecting interactions between systemic problems may not only lead to inaccurate problem diagnosis, but also to ineffective or even counterproductive interventions.