Sustainability transition to a climate neutral economy requires the rapid development, testing and scaling of emerging technologies currently in their infancy. Carbon dioxide electrolysis is one such promising emerging technology to produce fossil-free fuels and chemicals for a sustainable chemical industry. This paper investigates enablers and barriers shaping this technology within a European context by combining a technological innovation system (TIS) lens with political economy perspectives. Evidence from over forty semi-structured interviews, policy documents, and an expert consultation workshop reveals a fast-emerging TIS enabled by R&D, legitimisation and advocacy of carbon capture and utilisation as an emission reduction pathway, and complementary technological developments. However, factors such as availability of renewable electricity and carbon dioxide, and a policy bias towards mature technologies to meet urgent emission reduction targets are barriers to its future development. The TIS in this early formative phase, is in a state of flux and vulnerable to shifts in actor strategies, which can result in discontinuities in the learning process. We identify a need for technology-specific policies to support iterative upscaling through long-term projects, encourage niche market formation and strategically manage knowledge. In contrast to the current fit and conform narrative dominated by cost comparison with fossil fuels, we propose a need to empower carbon dioxide electrolysis with a stronger stretch and transform framing by imagining its role in a carbon neutral economy. Our methodology complements existing techno-economic assessments by bringing forth a rich narrative of underlying innovation processes and offers important policy insights for governing emerging technology development.

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Purpose: The objective of this paper is to develop a redesigned commissioning process for social care services that fosters integrated care, encourages collaboration and balances professional expertise with client engagement. Design/methodology/approach: This study employs a two-pronged approach: a case study of a municipality’s use of subsidy tables and a literature scoping review on integrated care research. Findings: The paper introduces a new framework for the study of the new “subsidy tables.” A well-defined and extensive consultation process involving both social care providers (suppliers), the Service Triad, and client representation adds to the existing research on supplier consultation, and on how to define the outcomes for clients via client engagement. Research limitations/implications: While aspects are clearly relevant to the Netherlands, the design of the commissioning process of social care has international relevance as well: finding definitions, formulating outcomes and incentives, designing a more collaborative instead of competitive process, stakeholder engagement and consultation. Practical implications: Several Dutch municipalities started using the “subsidy tables” method for commissioning integrated social care. This paper offers clear improvements that benefit the commissioners, the social care providers and their clients. Social implications: Improving the commissioning process of integrated social care will lead to better fitting care for people who need social care. Originality/value: This paper is one of the first to do a thorough analysis of the “subsidy tables” method for commissioning integrated social care.

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Urban water systems worldwide need integrated, cross-sectoral innovations to anticipate developments like climate change and population growth. Development and implementation of such innovations is challenging due to the operational and sectoral mindset of organizations in which these innovations take place. This study uses the concept of ambidexterity to get a better understanding of how organizations responsible for urban water management deal with the tension between operation and the need for innovation. We focused on Amsterdam and Rotterdam, two Dutch cities that are global frontrunners in urban water management. Combining a desk study with 25 semi-structured interviews, we found four mechanisms to manage innovation and operation tensions: network, hierarchical, process and human-resource mechnanisms. Different from the literature on ambidexterity, our empirical findings show that the connection between operation and innovation is dominated by networks rather than by executives. Hierarchical mechanisms could be used to complement this, catalyzing innovation or formalizing it.

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Machine learning (ML) algorithms have now entered public decision-making surrounded by enthusiasm, for the possible positive impact they may have on services and citizens. However, their introduction brings with it numerous problems that are left in the background or not even addressed. Academic contributions are growing, and often discuss general challenges, such as a lack of transparency, a lack of accountability and the issue of discrimination. However, the wickedness of public decision-making and specific public decision-making characteristics are not fully acknowledged in the literature, and the impacts of these characteristics are underexplored. With a focus on public decision-making and Llgorithms in the public sector, in this chapter, we provide a conceptual overview based on a narrative literature review. Specifically, the chapter first offers an overview of public sector decision-making characteristics. After describing our methodology, the study offers an overview of available studies focusing on decision-making with algorithms and decision-making about algorithms. Then, implications in light of specific public sector characteristics are discussed. The main implication is the amplification of existing challenges that exist with both public decision-making and ML algorithms. Finally, some conclusions are drawn.@en

The storage of renewable electricity in chemical bonds is a compelling technological option that combines flexibility with the synthesis of high energy-dense fuels and chemicals and may use CO2 as raw material. The electrochemical conversion of CO2 is not yet a mature technology. Both fields, electrochemical conversion and carbon dioxide utilisation (CDU), have their own trade-offs; CO2 electrochemical reduction (CO2ER) environmental and economic performance is highly context-dependent. The successful deployment of CO2 electrochemical conversion will depend not only on the further development and scaling of the technology but also on finding appropriate combinations of technologies, business models, and socioeconomic strategies. The current project aims to create critical knowledge on the sustainable implementation of CO2 electrochemical devices for a variety of contexts. The research approach presented in the current work will develop a multidisciplinary framework to assess the contributions and trade-offs of CO2 electrochemical systems, including centralised and decentralised configurations, which are evaluated under realistic conditions. This is a crucial step in understanding the role and contribution of CO2ER within the different CO2 mitigation options in place in the upcoming years. To achieve the project’s goal, we propose a multidisciplinary methodology that includes process systems engineering (PSE) and operations research (OR) tools, and humanistic and social sciences methodologies. Modelling and optimisation techniques, value-sensitive design, and identification of government and market-based governance interventions will help identifying potential areas of improvement and bottlenecks to successfully bring CO2ER to the market. The assessment will be performed at several levels: unit (reaction pathways), process (scheduling and operation, plant layout optimisation), supply chain (optimisation under deterministic and stochastic conditions), and system (social, governance and markets perspectives) of CO2ER. The project results will (i) propose optimal CO2ER-based plants and (ii) supply chains under different contexts; (iii) translate stakeholders’ sustainability value into design requirements for CO2ER; (iv) propose a list of government interventions and market mechanisms that will allow CO2ER market penetration, and (v) identify, quantify and mitigate the influence of the most relevant sources of uncertainty. @en

Governments look at explainable artificial intelligence's (XAI) potential to tackle the criticisms of the opaqueness of algorithmic decision-making with AI. Although XAI is appealing as a solution for automated decisions, the wicked nature of the challenges governments face complicates the use of XAI. Wickedness means that the facts that define a problem are ambiguous and that there is no consensus on the normative criteria for solving this problem. In such a situation, the use of algorithms can result in distrust. Whereas there is much research advancing XAI technology, the focus of this paper is on strategies for explainability. Three illustrative cases are used to show that explainable, data-driven decisions are often not perceived as objective by the public. The context might raise strong incentives to contest and distrust the explanation of AI, and as a consequence, fierce resistance from society is encountered. To overcome the inherent problems of XAI, decisions-specific strategies are proposed to lead to societal acceptance of AI-based decisions. We suggest strategies to embrace explainable decisions and processes, co-create decisions with societal actors, move away from an instrumental to an institutional approach, use competing and value-sensitive algorithms, and mobilize the tacit knowledge of professionals@en

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce the papers in this special issue on humans, algorithms and data. The authors first set themselves the task of identifying the main challenges arising from the adoption and use of algorithms and data analytics in management, accounting and organisations in general, many of which have been described in the literature. Design/methodology/approach: This paper builds on previous literature and case studies of the application of algorithm logic with artificial intelligence as an exemplar of this innovation. Furthermore, this paper is triangulated with the findings of the papers included in this special issue. Findings: Based on prior literature and the concepts set out in the papers published in this special issue, this paper proposes a conceptual framework that can be useful both in the analysis and ordering of the algorithm hype, as well as to identify future research avenues. Originality/value: The value of this framework, and that of the papers in this special issue, lies in its ability to shed new light on the (neglected) connections and relationships between algorithmic applications, such as artificial intelligence. The framework developed in this piece should stimulate scholars to explore the intersections between “technical” as well as organisational, social and individual issues that algorithms should help us tackle.

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A novel fermentation process was developed in which renewable electricity is indirectly used as an energy source in fermentation, synergistically decreasing both the consumption of sugar as a first generation carbon source and emission of the greenhouse gas CO₂. As an illustration, a glucose-based process is co-fed with formic acid, which can be generated by capturing CO₂ from fermentation offgas followed by electrochemical reduction with renewable electricity. This “closed carbon loop” concept is demonstrated by a case study in which cofeeding formic acid is shown to significantly increase the yield of biomass on glucose of the industrially relevant yeast species Yarrowia lipolytica. First, the optimal feed ratio of formic acid to glucose is established using chemostat cultivations. Subsequently, guided by a dynamic fermentation process model, a fed-batch protocol is developed and demonstrated on laboratory scale. Finally, the developed fed-batch process is tested and proven to be scalable at pilot scale. Extensions of the concept are discussed to apply the concept to anaerobic fermentations, and to recycle the O₂ that is co-generated with the formic acid to aerobic fermentation processes for intensification purposes.

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Public perceptions of emergent low-carbon technologies, such as geothermal energy, impact the speed of energy transitions. Such perceptions are largely shaped by how the media portray such technologies. This paper reports on how geothermal energy has been framed in two prominent national newspapers in Indonesia, a country with large geothermal potential due to its volcanic geology. We examined articles on geothermal energy written over ten years. Applying a quantitative framing analysis, we investigated the salience of six frames indicated in the literature as often used in communications on geothermal energy: energy security, economy, legislation, environment, knowledge, and social issues. We also examined the tone and source of the frames. The analysis reveals an overall positive tone in the newspaper articles, especially regarding the technology's energy security and economic potential, with the primary source being the national government. Possible adverse effects of geothermal technology are covered less often, particularly those related to social issues at the local level. We describe the different frames identified, provide examples and discuss implications.@en

Climate change and urbanization, as well as growing environmental and economic concerns, highlight the limitations of traditional wastewater practices and thereby challenge the management of urban water systems. Both in theory and in practice, it has been widely acknowledged that the challenges of the twenty-first century require solutions that address problems in a more integrated way. Although the demand for integration is obvious, implementation has proved challenging because of the complexity and uncertainty involved. In addition, the urban water literature contains a wide diversity of approaches to integration, each contribution having its own understanding of the term, as well as how to deal with the complexity that comes with it. In this article, we take a first step in supporting both decision-making and decision-makers in urban water systems integration. First, we work towards a more comprehensive perspective on integration in urban water management; one that uses and structures the variety of existing approaches. In so doing, we introduce a typology of urban water systems integration that distinguishes between geographical, physical, informational, and project-based forms. Second, we explore the implications that such integrated solutions bring for decision-makers. They will be faced with additional uncertainty arising (1) at the interfaces of previously unconnected systems and (2) from the social and institutional changes that systems integration requires. Finally, we draft three decision-making challenges that come with integration and provide some possibilities for dealing with them.

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Gedreven door ontwikkelingen zoals klimaatverandering, verstedelijking en digitalisering zien we in het stedelijk watersysteem steeds vaker oplossingen ‘buiten de buis’. Oplossingen zoals publieke pleinen met een waterbergende functie, polderdaken met een dynamische waterberging, zwembaden verwarmd met warmte uit (afval)water; het zijn allemaal pogingen om antwoorden te vinden op de uitdagingen waar de watersector mee te maken heeft. Echter, de watersector is niet de enige in de stad die worstelt met uitdagingen die dergelijke ontwikkelingen met zich meebrengen. Doordat de ruimte in de stad beperkt is, zien we dat de grenzen van stedelijke infrastructuur steeds vaker worden opgezocht, opgerekt en verlegd, om zo oplossingen te kunnen vinden die in te passen zijn in bestaand stedelijk gebied. @en

Getting what you want - even if you are the boss - isn’t always easy. Almost every organization, big or small, works among a network of competing interests. Whether it’s governments pushing through policies, companies trying to increase profits, or even families deciding where to move house, rarely can decisions be made in isolation from competing interests both within the organization and outside it. In this accessible and straightforward account, Hans de Bruijn and Ernst ten Heuvelhof cast light on multi-stakeholder decision-making. Using plain language, they reveal the nuts and bolts of decision-making within the numerous dilemmas and tensions at work. Drawing on a diverse range of illustrative examples throughout, their perceptive analysis examines how different interests can either support or block change, and the strategies available for managing a variety of stakeholders. The second edition of Management in Networks incorporates a wider spread of international cases, a new chapter giving an overview of different network types, and a new chapter looking at digital governance and the impact of big data on networks. This insightful text is invaluable reading for students of management and organizational studies, plus practitioners - or actors - operating in a range of contexts.

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China has gone through a rapid process of urbanization, but this has come along with serious environmental problems. Therefore, it has started to develop various eco-cities, low-carbon cities, and other types of sustainable cities. The massive launch of these sustainable initiatives, as well as the higher cost of these projects, requires the Chinese government to invest large sums of money. What financial toolkits can be employed to fund this construction has become a critical issue. Against this backdrop, the authors have selected Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city (SSTEC) and Shenzhen International Low-Carbon City (ILCC) and compared how they finance their construction. Both are thus far considered to be successful cases. The results show that the two cases differ from each other in two key aspects. First, ILCC has developed a model with less financial and other supports from the Chinese central government and foreign governments than SSTEC, and, hence, may be more valuable as a source of inspiration for other similar projects for which political support at the national level is not always available. Second, by issuing bonds in the international capital market, SSTEC singles itself out among various sustainable initiatives in China, while planning the village area as a whole and the metro plus property model are distinct practices in ILCC. In the end, the authors present a generic financing model that considers not only economic returns but also social and environmental impacts to facilitate future initiatives to finance in more structural ways.

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Platform market competition has been extensively researched, but the governance of the platform development process prior to market launch has received little attention. We develop a system dynamics simulation model using the avalanche game as a metaphor for platform development. We describe a typical platform development process, and show how this process corresponds to the game. To examine the role of incentives for consensus building in platform development, we extend the original simulation model of the avalanche game using literature on platform development. This provides insights about how platform governance incentives influence the platform development process. Specifically, we find that under high degrees of urgency, consensus is achieved more quickly when a greater number of participants are involved in a standards committee. We explain this counterintuitive notion by making use of the literature on decision-making in networks of interdependencies.

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Decision-making on changes to large infrastructural systems is complex. It involves many actors, the system shows unpredictable behaviour and the environment in which decision-making takes place is dynamic. In a unique development case of the Dutch railway sector two decision-making processes regarding the same issue are performed in two consecutive years. Although, from a technical perspective, the elements of the processes are similar, the decisions in each year are different. In this paper, we use game concepts to explain the different outcomes. Other frequently adopted decision-based models that focus on the technical perspective do not distinguish between both processes. Game concepts are able to reveal the hidden actor and context dynamics of the process and provide action perspective. To identify the game concepts present in the decision-making process, we first consider whether these concepts are mentioned in interviews with decision-makers in our case. Thereafter, we interpret the processes using the identified game concepts. The fact that, in the second year, more external issues are discussed and pressure increased created room for another decision.

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To ensure power supply security, electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) have to upscale high-voltage overhead power lines. However, upscaling frequently meets opposition. Opposition can be caused by uncertainties about risks and benefits and might lead to costly delays (Linder, 1995; Wiedemann, Boerner,& Claus, 2016). To minimize opposition, TSOs and related public services need to respond to these uncertainties in a credible and convincing (effective) way. Effective risk communication is associated with sharing facts. However, factual responses can be perceived as "cold" and technocratic. To make factual responses warmer, it has been suggested to refer to organisational values or show personal commitment (e.g., De Bruijn, 2011; De Wit, Das, & Vet, 2008). For example, when confronted with uncertainties about the impact of electro-magnetic fields on local residents’ health, a TSO spokesperson can share scientific findings as well as ensure that her organisation will never take any irresponsible risks because safety is a key value for them. Although it is generally assumed that a factual response is more effective when warmth is added, empirical evidence for this assumption is lacking. To fill this scientific gap, we conducted systematic research. The findings contribute to society because they can help improve effective communication and opinion-formation on power lines. The research consisted of three phases. In the first phase, experts identified the most relevant uncertainties about overhead power lines and formulated warm and cold responses to these uncertainties. The effectiveness (credibility and persuasiveness) of these responses was assessed with a large-scale representative survey (N = 881) in Phase 2. Phase 3 consisted of an experimental survey testing the hypothesis that a factual response is more effective when warmth is added with videos that were randomly distributed (N = 412). The most important finding of our research is that—in contrast with what is often suggested—a factual response to uncertainties about high-voltage overhead power lines is not more effective when warmth is added (although warmth increases feelings of sympathy). This paper is relevant to the panel topic because it integrates psychology and public administration in several ways. First, it investigates judgments of citizens in their interactions with public services (TSOs and related services). Second, it showcases the use of experimental methods to test theory. Third, the results can affect decisions of public managers and politicians with regard to risk communication on high-voltage overhead power lines. @en

Cybersecurity is a global phenomenon representing a complex socio-technical challenge for governments, but requiring the involvement of individuals. Although cybersecurity is one of the most important challenges faced by governments today, the visibility and public awareness remains limited. Almost everybody has heard of cybersecurity, however, the urgency and behaviour of persons do not reflect high level of awareness. The Internet is all too often considered as a safe environment for sharing information, transactions and controlling the physical world. Yet, cyberwars are already ongoing, and there is an urgent need to be better prepared. The inability to frame cybersecurity has resulted in a failure to develop suitable policies. In this paper, we discuss the challenges in framing policy on cybersecurity and offer strategies for better communicating cybersecurity. Communicating cybersecurity is confronted with paradoxes, which has resulted in society not taking appropriate measures to deal with the threats. The limited visibility, socio-technological complexity, ambiguous impact and the contested nature of fighting cybersecurity complicates policy-making. Framing using utopian or dystopian views might be counterproductive and result in neglecting evidence. Instead, we present evidence-based framing strategies which can help to increase societal and political awareness of cybersecurity and put the issues in perspective.

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Met de invoering van de Politiewet 2012 (Pw2012) wilde de minister van Veiligheid en Justitie (VenJ) zorgen voor een effectieve, efficiënte en maatschappelijk gewaardeerde politieorganisatie, die zowel rechtstatelijk als democratisch goed is ingebed. Artikel 74 van de Pw2012 bepaalt dat de minister van VenJ binnen vijf jaar na inwerkingtreding van de wet aan de Staten-Generaal een verslag dient te sturen over de doeltreffendheid en de effecten van de wet in de praktijk. Deze evaluatie wordt uitgevoerd in vier deelonderzoeken; het voorliggende onderzoek heeft betrekking op prestaties van de politie. De centrale vraag van het onderzoek ‘prestaties’ is of de keuze voor één politie met één beheerder tot betere prestaties van de politie heeft geleid. Om die vraag te beantwoorden is goed hanteerbare, geldige en betrouwbare informatie nodig over de prestaties van de nationale politie zoals beoogd en in praktijk gebracht met de inwerkingtreding van de Pw2012. Aangestuurd door een begeleidingscommissie hebben Berenschot en de TU Delft in de periode november 2016 – juni 2017 gezamenlijk onderzoek gedaan naar de vraag: Wat is de bijdrage van de Pw2012 aan het doelmatiger en slagvaardiger werken en beter presteren van de nationale politie?@en

The recent start-up of several full-scale ‘second generation’ ethanol plants marks a major milestone in the development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysates of agricultural residues and energy crops. After a discussion of the challenges that these novel industrial contexts impose on yeast strains, this minireview describes key metabolic engineering strategies that have been developed to address these challenges. Additionally, it outlines how proof-of-concept studies, often developed in academic settings, can be used for the development of robust strain platforms that meet the requirements for industrial application. Fermentation performance of current engineered industrial S. cerevisiae strains is no longer a bottleneck in efforts to achieve the projected outputs of the first large-scale second-generation ethanol plants. Academic and industrial yeast research will continue to strengthen the economic value position of second-generation ethanol production by further improving fermentation kinetics, product yield and cellular robustness under process conditions.@en