Transition policy mixes and business model adaptation: Incumbent firms' response to zero‐carbon policy in the housing sector
从企业层面分析英国零碳住房政策组合如何影响在位房屋建筑商的商业模式适应，发现政策缺陷与适应障碍的相互作用导致系统失败，建议政策设计需考虑企业商业模式以推动可持续转型。
Abstract This paper provides a firm‐level perspective on sustainability transitions by analysing how government can use transition policy mixes to entice industry incumbents to adapt their business model to integrate sustainable technologies. It examines firm‐level barriers to policy implementation, why these exist, and how government can use transition policy mixes to overcome them. The empirical analysis provides an in‐depth case study of the UK Zero Carbon Homes (ZCH) as a transition policy mix and considers the point of view of policymakers and incumbent housebuilders. The paper sheds light on the question of how transition policy mix designs can support incumbents' business model adaptation to bring about transformational change for sustainability. The results show that the interaction between various policy shortcomings and business model adaptation barriers led to a failure of government to move the housebuilding sector towards a stronger integration of sustainable technologies. The paper concludes by arguing that decarbonising housing in the UK was a system failure, rather than a market or policy failure, as the government failed to address the underlying reasons of incumbents' resistance to changing their business model. The findings suggest that taking incumbents' business models into consideration while designing policies for sustainability transitions is necessary to entice established firms to actively take part in the process of transitions and adapt to new sustainable norms.