SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION POLICY FOCUS OF STUDY This study examines the factors influencing the adoption of proactive eco-innovations (EIs) among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in resource-intensive sectors across the European Union (EU). By utilizing a national innovation system (NIS) perspective, the research analyzes determinants at three levels: micro (environmental awareness), meso (external collaboration and intra-industry agglomeration), and macro (economic complexity, trade openness, and government R&D). Data from a survey of 6,188 SMEs revealed that while public awareness and economic complexity positively influenced proactive EI adoption, external collaboration and sectoral agglomeration had a negative impact. The findings highlight the importance of understanding external knowledge absorption processes in promoting eco-innovation. POLICY RECOMMENDATION Policymakers should enhance public awareness and support for R&D while reconsidering the role of external collaborations in eco-innovation strategies. Tailored policies that foster a conducive environment for proactive EIs can help SMEs effectively transition towards sustainable practices. FOCUS OF STUDY In this conceptual piece, the authors lay the groundwork for a relational “turn” in policy studies, which involves analyzing how policy emerges from the “working and reworking of relationships among policy actors”. As discussed, the roots of the relational approach are found in earlier work on implementation, street-level bureaucrats, practice, and network governance. This semi-review discusses some strong theoretical assumptions found in relational sociology and other fields. It then ends with some baseline propositions that most (or all) policy scholars can begin with as they consider how relational approaches can further their own research. POLICY RECOMMENDATION The authors recommend more widespread use of a relational perspective on policy phenomena, as it can help explain what otherwise appear as anomalies in policy design and implementation. Practitioners and researchers alike can benefit from understanding the role of relationality in the life of policy. Lejano, R.P., and Kan, W.S. “Conjectures on a relational turn in policy studies.” Policy Sciences 58, 385–401 (2025). Yoshino, Miyana, Benjamin Sadlek, Masaru Yarime, Adnan Ali. “Knowledge absorption pathways for eco-innovation: an empirical analysis of small and mediumsized enterprises in the European Union.” European Journal of Innovation Management 28.2 (2025): 426-453. 17 Scholarly Showcase
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