The Scope and Outcomes of Transformative Policy Missions: A Conceptual Framework and Empirical Exploration of Swedish Industry Decarbonization

Book chapter, 2026

This paper presents a conceptual framework for analysing transformative policy missions and guiding policy design. The framework decomposes the mission scope into transformative orientation, policy interventions, and system focus, while distinguishing structural and functional outcomes. This analytical structure allows for comparative analysis and evaluation of missions oriented towards challenge-driven transformation of socio-technical systems. The empirical exploration centres on the decarbonization of Swedish industry. The analysis specifically highlights the Industry Leap, which is a major policy programme that departs from the Swedish climate goals and fosters collaborative innovation projects. The identified structural outcomes reveal significant mobilization of incumbent industrial actors to mission-oriented innovation networks. At the functional level, activities within these networks focus on pathways based on carbon capture and hydrogen. However, there is also a notable difference in the level of engagement across sectors, a lack of new entrants, and little experimentation with alternative pathways.