Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
Mission Green: Defense, Decarbonization, and the Politics of Transformative Mission‐Oriented Innovation Policy
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
Mission Green: Defense, Decarbonization, and the Politics of Transformative Mission‐Oriented Innovation Policy
Do you wish to request the book?
Mission Green: Defense, Decarbonization, and the Politics of Transformative Mission‐Oriented Innovation Policy
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
Mission Green: Defense, Decarbonization, and the Politics of Transformative Mission‐Oriented Innovation Policy
2026
Overview
The urgency of decarbonization has generated increasing interest in using mission-oriented innovation policies to achieve net-zero emissions. An energy transformation, however, requires managing a much more complex portfolio of supply- and demand-side initiatives than traditional, “linear” missions. “Transformative” innovation policy thus poses a formidable administrative and political challenge, particularly for large, federal, liberal market economies. Leveraging variation in state capacity within the US, we find that the Department of Defense is better positioned to pursue transformative, green innovation policies than the Department of Energy, despite the latter’s central position in national decarbonization efforts. Specifically, the Department of Defense’s scale and scope enable it to coordinate across a wide array of policy instruments, actors, and priorities. Whereas efforts to endow the Department of Energy with similar capacities sparked a backlash, the Department of Defense’s bipartisan mandate to confront geotech challenges and its ability to leverage secrecy have insulated it from political interference. In illustrating how one large, liberal polity has succeeded (and struggled) in pursuing decarbonization, we highlight the distinct administrative and political capabilities which underpin transformative innovation policy, the tension between them, and one strategy to soften this tradeoff.
