Mark Wilson

@article{691a3e9421dc47f58aae27a5c03a0b75,

title = {Social influence in the adoption of digital consumer innovations for climate change},

author = {Emilie Vrain and Charlie Wilson and Laurie Kerr and Mark Wilson},

doi = {10.1016/j.enpol.2022.112800},

issn = {0301-4215},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-03-01},

journal = {Energy Policy},

volume = {162},

publisher = {Elsevier},

abstract = {Digital consumer innovations offer low-carbon alternatives to mainstream consumption practices. We contribute new insights on the importance of social influence in the uptake of digital consumer innovations for climate change across mobility, food, homes, and energy domains.Using nationally representative UK survey data (n = 3007), we show that electronic word-of-mouth is the dominant mechanism of information exchange for strengthening adoption intentions. This finding is robust across 16 innovations from car clubs to 11th hour food apps. Other social influence mechanisms such as social norms and neighbourhood effects are as important only for highly visible innovations such as electric vehicles.Using deep dive early adopter studies of ridesharing platforms, digital food hubs, and smart home technologies, we show that trust in digital platforms and place-based community networks are important characteristics affecting social influence. Social norms can help build trust, while word-of-mouth spreads positive information for locally salient innovations.Policies stimulating innovation adoption tend to focus on purchase incentives. Opportunities to harness social influence processes remain unexploited. Our research emphasises the importance of digital skills and infrastructure for supporting these processes, social marketing for building positive norms, and community networks for enabling interpersonal exchange.},

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@article{936039c95df84cedaf012b5c108a1efb,

title = {Potential climate benefits of digital consumer innovations},

author = {Charlie Wilson and Laurie Kerr and Frances Sprei and Emilie Vrain and Mark Wilson},

doi = {10.1146/annurev-environ-012320-082424},

issn = {1543-5938},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-10-17},

journal = {Annual Review of Environment and Resources},

volume = {45},

pages = {113–144},

publisher = {Annual Reviews Inc.},

abstract = {Digitalization has opened up a wealth of new goods and services with strong consumer appeal alongside potential emission-reduction benefits. Examples range from shared, on-demand electric mobility and peer-to-peer trading of electricity, food, and cars to grid-responsive smart appliances and heating systems. In this review, we identify an illustrative sample of 33 digital consumer innovations that challenge emission-intensive mainstream consumption practices in mobility, food, homes, and energy domains. Across these domains, digital innovations offer consumers a range of potentially appealing attributes from control, choice, and convenience to independence, interconnectedness, and integration with systems. We then compile quantitative estimates of change in activity, energy, or emissions as a result of consumers adopting digital innovations. This novel synthesis of the evidence base shows clear but variable potential emission-reduction benefits of digital consumer innovations. However, a small number of studies show emission increases from specific innovations as a result of induced demand or substitution effects that need careful management by public policy. We also consider how concurrent adoption of digital consumer innovations across mobility, food, homes, and energy domains can cause broader disruptive impacts on regulatory frameworks, norms, and infrastructures. We conclude by arguing for the importance of public policy in steering the digitalization of consumer goods and services toward low-carbon outcomes.},

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@article{d9834702be0d418ba3be63c1f62e50c0,

title = {Are low carbon innovations appealing? A typology of functional, symbolic, private and public attributes},

author = {Hazel Pettifor and Charlie Wilson and Sandra Bogelein and Emma Cassar and Laurie Kerr and Mark Wilson},

doi = {10.1016/j.erss.2019.101422},

issn = {2214-6296},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-06-01},

journal = {Energy Research & Social Science},

volume = {64},

publisher = {Elsevier},

abstract = {Attributes are central to understanding the consumer appeal of low carbon innovations. In this paper we provide a comprehensive understanding of the wide ranging attributes of low carbon innovations. We use a two-by-two dimensional typology which identifies four discrete domains of attribute: private functional, public functional, private symbolic, and public symbolic. Using structured elicitation with over 65 people we examine perceived attributes of 12 consumer innovations in mobility, food, homes and energy. We find that low carbon innovations are relatively unappealing against the private functional and symbolic attributes valued by potential mainstream consumers. This includes features such as money saving, time saving, ease of access, ease of use, trust, and private identity. They are, however, highly appealing against many public functional and symbolic attributes including a range of social and environmental benefits. Food innovations in particular have high social appeal where they support local businesses, protect and build communities around food and build community spirit. Home innovations such as smart appliances and smart lighting are highly appealing because they are novel yet also fit within current social norms. Low carbon innovations based on the sharing economy model offer unique sources of added value related to the creation of social institutions and localised networks. It is important that low carbon innovations are positioned within the marketplace so as to emphasise unique sources of added value within the public domain rather than compete directly with established incumbents whose business models are largely built on volume, scale and costs.},

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@article{1fdbf1d903bb47d0a6b8381d607a2c87,

title = {The potential contribution of disruptive low-carbon innovations to 1.5 °C climate mitigation},

author = {Charles Wilson and Hazel Pettifor and Emma Cassar and Laurie Kerr and Mark Wilson},

doi = {10.1007/s12053-018-9679-8},

issn = {1570-646X},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-02-14},

journal = {Energy Efficiency},

volume = {12},

number = {2},

pages = {423–440},

publisher = {Springer},

abstract = {This paper investigates the potential for consumer-facing innovations to contribute emission reductions for limiting warming to 1.5 °C. First, we show that global integrated assessment models which characterise transformation pathways consistent with 1.5 °C mitigation are limited in their ability to analyse the emergence of novelty in energy end-use. Second, we introduce concepts of disruptive innovation which can be usefully applied to the challenge of 1.5 °C mitigation. Disruptive low-carbon innovations offer novel value propositions to consumers and can transform markets for energy-related goods and services while reducing emissions. Third, we identify 99 potentially disruptive low-carbon innovations relating to mobility, food, buildings and cities, and energy supply and distribution. Examples at the fringes of current markets include car clubs, mobility-as-a-service, prefabricated high-efficiency retrofits, internet of things, and urban farming. Each of these offers an alternative to mainstream consumer practices. Fourth, we assess the potential emission reductions from subsets of these disruptive low-carbon innovations using two methods: a survey eliciting experts’ perceptions and a quantitative scaling-up of evidence from early-adopting niches to matched segments of the UK population. We conclude that disruptive low-carbon innovations which appeal to consumers can help efforts to limit warming to 1.5 °C.},

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@article{2087,

title = {Potential contribution of disruptive low-carbon innovations to 1.5textordmasculineC climate mitigation},

author = {C Wilson and H Pettifor and E Cassar and L Kerr and M Wilson},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s12053-018-9679-8},

doi = {10.1007/s12053-018-9679-8},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-01-01},

journal = {Energy Efficiency},

abstract = {<p>This paper investigates the potential for consumer-facing innovations to contribute emission reductions for limiting warming to 1.5 textdegreeC. First, we show that global integrated assessment models which characterise transformation pathways consistent with 1.5 textdegreeC mitigation are limited in their ability to analyse the emergence of novelty in energy end-use. Second, we introduce concepts of disruptive innovation which can be usefully applied to the challenge of 1.5 textdegreeC mitigation. Disruptive \emph{low-carbon} innovations offer novel value propositions to consumers and can transform markets for energy-related goods and services while reducing emissions. Third, we identify 99 potentially disruptive low-carbon innovations relating to mobility, food, buildings and cities, and energy supply and distribution. Examples at the fringes of current markets include car clubs, mobility-as-a-service, prefabricated high-efficiency retrofits, internet of things, and urban farming. Each of these offers an alternative to mainstream consumer practices. Fourth, we assess the potential emission reductions from subsets of these disruptive low-carbon innovations using two methods: a survey eliciting expertstextquoteright perceptions and a quantitative scaling-up of evidence from early-adopting niches to matched segments of the UK population. We conclude that disruptive low-carbon innovations which appeal to consumers can help efforts to limit warming to 1.5 textdegreeC.</p>},

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