Technological revolutions, socio-technical transitions and the role of agency: Värmland’s transition to a regional bio-economy

Abstract

ABSTRACT The paper draws on the literatures on techno-economic paradigms and socio-technical transitions to analyse the impact of technological revolutions on regional development. Based on interview data collected from policymakers and regional firms, the paper adopts a multi-scalar approach to analyse the role of agency and strategy formulation in the emergence of a new bio-based techno-economic paradigm and the early stages of a process of socio-technical transition towards a forest-based bio-economy in the Värmland Region of Sweden. The paper contributes to an understanding of the role of strategic agency in new regional path creation in the context of radically technological change.