Sector Dynamics in Demand Articulation: The Case of Emerging Sensor Technologies for Drinking Water Applications

摘要: Demand articulation plays a key role in early phases of innovation processes. It may reduce uncertainties for innovating firms and offer guidance in innovation processes. Studies into demand articulation processes have tended to focus on users and user-producer interactions and pay less attention to the role of the broader environment in which users and producers are embedded. This paper draws attention to dynamics and outcomes at the sector level which go beyond user-producer interactions, but nevertheless have important effects on these actors’ articulations of demands. We illustrate our perspective and conceptualization by offering a case study of demand articulation processes regarding emerging nanotechnology-based sensor technologies for drinking water applications. Sensor technologies constitute an important component within the drinking water supply system and can interact with many system functions. While drinking water companies have expressed a keen interest in sensor technologies for water quality monitoring, the articulation of demands up to actual application of sensors is limited. Our analysis shows how dynamics and outcomes at the sector level shape articulation of demands via putting formulation of requirements for sensor technologies on the agenda of suppliers and users, and shaping impasses in demand articulation processes. We conclude by pointing out how our analysis helps to identify intervention strategies to support demand articulation and overcome impasses.