The 'fit' between forward-looking activities and the innovation policy governance sub-system: A framework to explore potential impacts

•Analyses changes induced by FLAs in innovation policy governance sub-systems (IPGSs)•Identifies key features of FLAs and IPGSs•Explores hypotheses on the likely 'fit' between types of FLAs and key features of IPGSs•Building blocks for future theorising on the role and likely impacts of FLAs•Analytical framework (focusing device) for devising and evaluating FLAs

Forward-looking activities (FLAs) can influence innovation systems in various ways to a significant extent. This paper focuses on changes induced by FLAs in the innovation policy governance sub-system (IPGSs) of a given national innovation system. Our knowledge is surprisingly limited even on this subset of FLA impacts, despite several decades of practice and non-negligible analytical efforts. We identify key features of FLAs and IPGSs in order to explore hypotheses on the likely 'fit' between different types of FLAs and various IPGSs. Countries selected to illustrate the relevance of our analytical framework include Germany, Greece, and Hungary. Our intention is to contribute to a more refined conceptual framework concerning the role and likely impacts of FLAs. Further, as a better understanding of impacts supports the design of more appropriate and effective FLAs, as well as more insightful evaluations of FLAs, this approach is of practical relevance, too.