Identifying and prioritizing macroeconomic factors affecting the photovoltaics technological innovation system in Iran using the ISM approach

Technological innovation system and the multilevel perspective are the concepts that have been considered as systematic tools for assessing technological development problems and the study of technological changes. Technological innovation system has been criticized by researchers for being intrinsic and insufficient attention to macro factors. The multilevel approach is considered as a complementary concept that is capable of examining macro factors. Hence, in this paper, based on the multilevel approach, the macro factors affecting the technological innovation system and the path of technology development and how they affect them, was investigated. After identifying the major factors influencing the innovation system, the importance of each of them was determined by empirical study of these factors in the technology innovation technology in Iran, using ISM model and MICMAC method. The results show that government policies, oil crises, economic growth and recession are the main factors behind the macroeconomic framework that are important and influential on Iran's photovoltaic technology innovation system.