TechnologicalForecasting&SocialChange79( )155–171ContentslistsavailableatSciVerseScienceDirectTechnologicalForecasting&SocialChangeConceptualizingleapfroggingwithspatiallycoupledinnovationsystems:ThecaseofonsitewastewatertreatmentinChinaChristian Binza,⁎,Bernhard Truffer a,LiLib,YajuanShib,Yonglong Luba Eawag,SwissFederalInstituteofAquaticScienceandTechnology,Überlandstrasse133,8600Dübendorf,Switzerlandb StateKeyLaboratoryofUrbanandRegionalEcology,ResearchCenterforEco-EnvironmentalSciences,ChineseAcademyofSciences,Beijing100085,Chinaa r t i c l e i n f oa b s t r a c tArticlehistory:Received5July Receivedinrevisedform4August Accepted13August Availableonline13September Arapidimplementationofpotentiallymoresustainablesectorstructuresinnewlyindustrializingcountries (NICs) is of key importance