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Pathways of system transformation: Strategic agency to support regime change

Author

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  • Werbeloff, Lara
  • Brown, Rebekah R.
  • Loorbach, Derk

Abstract

There is a well-recognised need to transform existing systems of production and consumption towards a more sustainable orientation. However, there is much uncertainty about how to achieve sustainability transitions in practice, and what transition advocates and actors can do to catalyse and steer regime transformation. We therefore need evidence of how transitions are operationalised, in order to better understand the on-ground dynamics of regime change. To address this gap, this research paper examines three contemporary cases of transformational change in the Australian urban water sector and the dominant strategic approach to change adopted in each city. It focuses on the strategic behaviour of actors, in particular examining how agents navigate and respond to the opportunities and constraints of their context, and what initiatives (or combination thereof) can facilitate innovation diffusion and regime transformation. The results reveal three distinct patterns of change, each of which favour particular strategic interventions by transition proponents.

Suggested Citation

  • Werbeloff, Lara & Brown, Rebekah R. & Loorbach, Derk, 2016. "Pathways of system transformation: Strategic agency to support regime change," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 119-128.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enscpo:v:66:y:2016:i:c:p:119-128
    DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2016.08.010
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Brodnik, Christoph & Brown, Rebekah, 2018. "Strategies for developing transformative capacity in urban water management sectors: The case of Melbourne, Australia," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 147-159.
    2. Katariina Koistinen & Satu Teerikangas, 2021. "The Debate If Agents Matter vs. the System Matters in Sustainability Transitions—A Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-32, March.
    3. Pasquale Marcello Falcone & Enrica Imbert, 2019. "Tackling Uncertainty in the Bio-Based Economy," International Journal of Standardization Research (IJSR), IGI Global, vol. 17(1), pages 74-84, January.
    4. Kejia Yang & Johan Schot & Bernhard Truffer, 2020. "Shaping the Directionality of Sustainability Transitions: The Diverging Development Patterns of Solar PV in Two Chinese Provinces," SPRU Working Paper Series 2020-14, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    5. Duygan, Mert & Stauffacher, Michael & Meylan, Grégoire, 2021. "What constitutes agency? Determinants of actors’ influence on formal institutions in Swiss waste management," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    6. Contesse, Maria & Duncan, Jessica & Legun, Katharine & Klerkx, Laurens, 2021. "Unravelling non-human agency in sustainability transitions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).

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