The regional innovation system facing grand societal challenges : A case study of central Shanxi, China

Global decarbonization places carbon-intensive regions under growing pressure to reduce emissions and restructure their economies. Yet their dependence on fossil fuel industries and established institutions makes rapid transformation difficult. This dissertation examines how such regions respond to transition pressures through a case study of central Shanxi, comprising Taiyuan, Jinzhong, Lüliang, and Linfen. The region depends heavily on coal, coking, and related industries while also contributing to national energy security.

Drawing on a challenge-oriented regional innovation system (CoRIS) perspective, this study conceptualizes regional transformation as a negotiated response to competing societal demands within existing industrial and institutional structures.

The findings show that decarbonization in central Shanxi primarily produces regional innovation system (RIS) reorientation rather than regional transformation. Coking firms and local governments respond through cleaner production, industrial park integration, by-product utilization, and hydrogen projects. Although hydrogen introduces new technologies, knowledge, and actor relations, it remains dependent on coke oven gas, coking assets, industrial logistics, and firm-led applications. The dominant coal-coking regional imaginary frames these assets as resources for continued upgrading. Change agency supports the introduction of hydrogen industry, whereas reproductive agency renews coking technologies and assets. Low-carbon industries are therefore incorporated into the RIS without displacing the established industrial path.

This study makes three contributions. First, it extends the CoRIS framework to carbon-intensive regions by showing that external challenges do not automatically create transformative capacity, which also depends on market demand, actor coalitions, and implementation resources. Second, it shows how regional imaginaries connect decarbonization with existing industrial histories, assets, and interests, thereby shaping transition choices and resource allocation. Third, it demonstrates how reproductive agency enables established paths to adapt to new policy and market conditions.