Explaining Changes and Continuity in EU Technology Policy: The Politics of Ideas

By looking at the role of ideas in EU policy-making, this article partly contests other explanations on the evolution of EU RTD policy. Our claim is that the cognitive dimension of policy framing should also be considered in the explanation, alongside the roles of institutional dynamics and of material conditions. Bringing ideas back in, we provide a new account of the historical evolution of EU RTD policy, which has been moving from a frame of science policy to technology policy, and lately to innovation policy. Special emphasis will be placed on explaining this latest move, as the current ‘innovation turn’ brings about a reinterpretation of the boundaries between RTD policy and other policies. The conclusion will sum up the arguments, focusing especially on the current transformations of this EU policy.