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What constitutes agency? Determinants of actors’ influence on formal institutions in Swiss waste management

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  • Duygan, Mert
  • Stauffacher, Michael
  • Meylan, Grégoire

Abstract

Institutional change is crucial for the transitions of socio-technical systems. This study addresses why some actors have strong agency by uncovering the determinants of their influence on formal institutions. We focused on a recent and major policy process in Swiss waste management as the empirical case. We carried out content analysis of consultation documents, expert surveys, online questionnaire and social network analysis. The resulting data were then analysed with Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to determine the necessary and sufficient conditions associated with large influence. Results suggest that only several actors have a major influence on the policy output. Possessing material or non-material resources is found to be necessary yet not sufficient, as actors need to exhibit high activity and embeddedness in social networks or articulate a discourse rich in various concepts. By elucidating the configuration of endowments critical for actors’ influence on formal institutions, this study yields novel insights into the ingredients of strong agency. The analytical approach we present can be applied to various settings and thus can be pursued for a systematic analysis on the determinants of actors’ influence and how it varies with political or organizational context.

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  • 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).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:162:y:2021:i:c:s0040162520312397
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120413
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    2. Phyllis Rumbidzai Kwenda & Gareth Lagerwall & Sibel Eker & Bas van Ruijven, 2022. "Identifying the Leverage Points in the Household Solid Waste Management System for Harare, Zimbabwe, Using Network Analysis Techniques," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-20, September.
    3. Lu, Jintao & Rong, Dan & Lev, Benjamin & Liang, Mengshang & Zhang, Chong & Gao, Yangyang, 2023. "Constraints affecting the promotion of waste incineration power generation project in China: A perspective of improved technology acceptance model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PB).
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    5. Johan Miörner & Jonas Heiberg & Christian Binz, 2021. "Global regime diffusion in space: a missed transition in San Diego’s water sector," GEIST - Geography of Innovation and Sustainability Transitions 2021(08), GEIST Working Paper Series.

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