Overcoming the Barriers to the Innovations Diffusion through Diffusion-oriented Policies

Purpose of the study. The paper aims to develop a theoretical framework that links diffusion policies to the types of barriers to which implicitly or explicitly theoretical models of diffusion of innovation refer. Methodology. The conceptual framework is based on an extended literature review. The model is applied to an empirical case: the technology policy to diffuse Li-Ion battery for electric vehicles. Findings. Literature has deeply analysed the policies for the development of innovations, much less the policies for the innovations diffusion. To fill this gap, the study highlights that an effective approach to the diffusion of a new technology should be based on a careful analysis of the diffusion barriers and on a set of policies that simultaneously acts on these barriers. Research limits. Additional empirical studies are required to assess the applicability of the proposed conceptual framework. Practical implications. The conceptual framework of this paper has implications for scholars and policy makers. For scholars the paper opens the path towards the deepening of a subject still little studied. For policy makers the research provides a conceptual tool to guide their choices in supporting the diffusion of relevant technologies. Originality of the study. The paper classifies the barriers to the diffusion of a new technology, providing a different perspective of the theoretical studies on the diffusion of innovations. It proposes a theoretical framework that for the first time links the policies to support the dissemination of an innovation to the diffusion barriers. The potential explanatory power of the model is verified through a concrete case study.