Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2026.101105
Anna Maria Boros, Anna Małgorzata Bartczak, Ulf Liebe
{"title":"The role of justice concerns in the public perception of air pollution reduction programmes: A factorial survey experiment","authors":"Anna Maria Boros, Anna Małgorzata Bartczak, Ulf Liebe","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2026.101105","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146110211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-28DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2026.101102
María de las Mercedes Menéndez
The transition towards a productive structure characterised by the growing importance of greener and digital products poses significant challenges for countries. The alignment of such shifts with the broader dimensions of sustainable development — economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection — remains a central concern. Building on a multi-dimensional economic complexity approach (Nomaler & Verspagen, 2024b, 2024d), this article explores the implications of twin transition export and import specialisation for sustainable development and its role in reinforcing path-dependency across 80 countries, 2000–2018. The results suggest that an export and import productive structure based on twin transition products exhibits different economic performance, sustainability, and inequality implications. Productive specialisation in these products has been path-dependent, with a low engagement of developing countries, reinforcing the core-periphery trade division. Furthermore, results suggest that developments in digital and green technological paradigms mainly take place in a selected number of countries that are already highly developed.
{"title":"Twin transition trade based on multi-dimensional economic complexity","authors":"María de las Mercedes Menéndez","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101102","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101102","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition towards a productive structure characterised by the growing importance of greener and digital products poses significant challenges for countries. The alignment of such shifts with the broader dimensions of sustainable development — economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection — remains a central concern. Building on a multi-dimensional economic complexity approach (Nomaler & Verspagen, 2024b, 2024d), this article explores the implications of twin transition export and import specialisation for sustainable development and its role in reinforcing path-dependency across 80 countries, 2000–2018. The results suggest that an export and import productive structure based on twin transition products exhibits different economic performance, sustainability, and inequality implications. Productive specialisation in these products has been <em>path-dependent</em>, with a low engagement of developing countries, reinforcing the core-periphery trade division. Furthermore, results suggest that developments in digital and green technological paradigms mainly take place in a selected number of countries that are already highly developed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article 101102"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2026.101101
Roman Hausmann , Andrew C. Stirling , Anne-Kathrin Schwab
This paper explores the factors that shape relationships between grassroots innovation initiatives and other actors in local sustainability transitions contexts. Building such ties with wider communities is crucial to the local effectiveness of grassroots innovation, yet in practice these relationships can be distant and strained. Despite its importance, reasons for this practical problem are insufficiently understood in the literature on grassroots innovation. Developing and using a theoretical framework for explaining relationships in GI place-making, this paper thus addresses the research question: How do the actions and goals of grassroots innovation actors shape relationships with other actors in co-creating local places? Accordingly, we conducted a qualitative single-case study of a German grassroots initiative in the context of rural solidarity-based provisioning. We identify five factors related to the initiative’s approaches that influence such relationships: production of visible outputs, radicalism in self-portrayal, pluralist approach, outreach activities and outward orientation, and awareness of current standing in their region. We discuss these findings against our theoretical framework, which links grassroots place-making with three other theories: the pathways approach, intermediacy, and boundary work. Our data not only confirm that grassroots initiatives are marginalised by powerful incumbent institutions and actors – as has been suggested previously – but also show that such initiatives themselves can close down and neglect divergent pathways of local actors, thereby hindering relationship-building. The paper extends the theoretical understanding of the barriers and opportunities for grassroots innovation initiatives to induce local transitions and offers practical lessons.
{"title":"Building (and breaking) ties: explaining local relationships in grassroots place-making","authors":"Roman Hausmann , Andrew C. Stirling , Anne-Kathrin Schwab","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101101","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101101","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper explores the factors that shape relationships between grassroots innovation initiatives and other actors in local sustainability transitions contexts. Building such ties with wider communities is crucial to the local effectiveness of grassroots innovation, yet in practice these relationships can be distant and strained. Despite its importance, reasons for this practical problem are insufficiently understood in the literature on grassroots innovation. Developing and using a theoretical framework for explaining relationships in GI place-making, this paper thus addresses the research question: How do the actions and goals of grassroots innovation actors shape relationships with other actors in co-creating local places? Accordingly, we conducted a qualitative single-case study of a German grassroots initiative in the context of rural solidarity-based provisioning. We identify five factors related to the initiative’s approaches that influence such relationships: production of visible outputs, radicalism in self-portrayal, pluralist approach, outreach activities and outward orientation, and awareness of current standing in their region. We discuss these findings against our theoretical framework, which links grassroots place-making with three other theories: the pathways approach, intermediacy, and boundary work. Our data not only confirm that grassroots initiatives are marginalised by powerful incumbent institutions and actors – as has been suggested previously – but also show that such initiatives themselves can close down and neglect divergent pathways of local actors, thereby hindering relationship-building. The paper extends the theoretical understanding of the barriers and opportunities for grassroots innovation initiatives to induce local transitions and offers practical lessons.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article 101101"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China’s efforts to decarbonize its energy systems have made the adoption of wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) power a top priority. However, due to the intermittent nature of both technologies, they may compete for access to the power grid and market share, resulting in uneven diffusion across the country. This study examines the co-diffusion dynamics of wind and PV technologies across regions in China using an improved Lotka-Volterra model. The results show that, first, the diffusion of PV technology significantly outpaces that of wind technology, although both are subject to scale-restrictive effects. Second, the diffusion trajectories of both wind and PV technologies are inherently dynamic, alternating between predator-prey and mutualistic patterns, with the latter observed only in Southwest China. Third, regional spillover effects reveal that wind power deployment benefits from positive spatial synergies with neighboring regions, whereas PV technology is more frequently impeded by peer competition from neighboring regions, particularly in Northeast and East China. These findings highlight the need for regionally differentiated policy instruments that address both local competition and cross-regional cooperation during the energy transition.
{"title":"Rivalry or mutualism? Cross-regional dynamics of China’s wind and photovoltaic power technology diffusion","authors":"Bai-Chen Xie , Zhong-Tian Xu , Bless Kofi Edziah , Jian Su","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101106","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101106","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China’s efforts to decarbonize its energy systems have made the adoption of wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) power a top priority. However, due to the intermittent nature of both technologies, they may compete for access to the power grid and market share, resulting in uneven diffusion across the country. This study examines the co-diffusion dynamics of wind and PV technologies across regions in China using an improved Lotka-Volterra model. The results show that, first, the diffusion of PV technology significantly outpaces that of wind technology, although both are subject to scale-restrictive effects. Second, the diffusion trajectories of both wind and PV technologies are inherently dynamic, alternating between predator-prey and mutualistic patterns, with the latter observed only in Southwest China. Third, regional spillover effects reveal that wind power deployment benefits from positive spatial synergies with neighboring regions, whereas PV technology is more frequently impeded by peer competition from neighboring regions, particularly in Northeast and East China. These findings highlight the need for regionally differentiated policy instruments that address both local competition and cross-regional cooperation during the energy transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article 101106"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Scholars increasingly call for attention to the justice dimensions of sustainability transitions, recognizing that the burdens and benefits associated with these transitions differ over social groups, and that the goal of environmental protection can stand in tension with the goal of social justice. However, justice is an ambiguous concept and clarity about what justice in sustainability transitions can mean is limited, which is a problem for meaningful discussion and decision-making. In this paper we provide conceptual tools to elucidate what justice in sustainability transitions can mean, building on three justice dimensions developed in political philosophy (distribution, procedure, recognition) with five additional critical concepts: capabilities, epistemology, intersectionality, spatiality, and temporality. Drawing from theoretical and philosophical thinking in the social sciences and humanities, we discuss what each of these concepts entails, how they are relevant for sustainability transitions, and how they relate to distribution (outcomes), procedure (process), and recognition (interaction). We argue that together, the justice dimensions and concepts, and questions at the junctions between them, bring more comprehension to the analysis and articulation of justice in sustainability transitions. This lexicon contributes to a clearer understanding of justice, including the dilemmas undergirding sometimes contradictory demands. As such it brings questions of value and ethical considerations – in analytical as well as normative forms – front and center in sustainability transitions.
{"title":"Towards a lexicon for just sustainability transitions: thinking with capabilities, epistemology, intersectionality, spatiality, and temporality","authors":"Katinka Wijsman , Kristina Bogner , Flor Avelino , Agni Kalfagianni , Clara Uria Weis","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101104","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101104","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Scholars increasingly call for attention to the justice dimensions of sustainability transitions, recognizing that the burdens and benefits associated with these transitions differ over social groups, and that the goal of environmental protection can stand in tension with the goal of social justice. However, justice is an ambiguous concept and clarity about what justice in sustainability transitions can mean is limited, which is a problem for meaningful discussion and decision-making. In this paper we provide conceptual tools to elucidate what justice in sustainability transitions can mean, building on three justice dimensions developed in political philosophy (distribution, procedure, recognition) with five additional critical concepts: capabilities, epistemology, intersectionality, spatiality, and temporality. Drawing from theoretical and philosophical thinking in the social sciences and humanities, we discuss what each of these concepts entails, how they are relevant for sustainability transitions, and how they relate to distribution (outcomes), procedure (process), and recognition (interaction). We argue that together, the justice dimensions and concepts, and questions at the junctions between them, bring more comprehension to the analysis and articulation of justice in sustainability transitions. This lexicon contributes to a clearer understanding of justice, including the dilemmas undergirding sometimes contradictory demands. As such it brings questions of value and ethical considerations – in analytical as well as normative forms – front and center in sustainability transitions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article 101104"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-16DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2025.101098
Florian Kern , Janina Urban , Sophie Progscha , Helen Sharp , Simon Schairer , Joscha Wullweber
The role of finance has been under-researched in the literature on sustainability transitions. Much of the literature merely acknowledges the need for substantial investments in technologies or infrastructures. More recently, there has been increasing interest in the role of finance in transitions and how transitions to a more sustainable finance regime could take place. This article follows a call for research on specific actor groups within finance transitions, focusing on civil society organisations. As an exploratory study, it develops and tests an analytical framework for scrutinising strategies through which civil society is trying to affect finance transitions. Based on a mapping exercise, documentary analysis and 46 stakeholder interviews, we conclude that civil society actors mainly use cooperative approaches and have succeeded in bringing sustainable finance on the EU and German policy agendas, but have had limited impact so far in terms of reorienting legislation and finance actor long-term practices.
{"title":"‘Kicking the shin and extending a hand’: Which strategies do civil society actors use to affect transitions to sustainable finance?","authors":"Florian Kern , Janina Urban , Sophie Progscha , Helen Sharp , Simon Schairer , Joscha Wullweber","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2025.101098","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2025.101098","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The role of finance has been under-researched in the literature on sustainability transitions. Much of the literature merely acknowledges the need for substantial investments in technologies or infrastructures. More recently, there has been increasing interest in the role of finance in transitions and how transitions to a more sustainable finance regime could take place. This article follows a call for research on specific actor groups within finance transitions, focusing on civil society organisations. As an exploratory study, it develops and tests an analytical framework for scrutinising strategies through which civil society is trying to affect finance transitions. Based on a mapping exercise, documentary analysis and 46 stakeholder interviews, we conclude that civil society actors mainly use cooperative approaches and have succeeded in bringing sustainable finance on the EU and German policy agendas, but have had limited impact so far in terms of reorienting legislation and finance actor long-term practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article 101098"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-16DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2026.101100
Håkon Endresen Normann , Markus Steen , Tuukka Mäkitie
The role of labour and competences has received limited attention in the sustainability transitions literature. This paper starts from the premise that the labour market and the availability of relevant competences are both key enablers for transition processes and domains of impact as transitions unfold. To contribute new insights, we adopt an exploratory multi-method approach using a unique dataset of 7500 survey responses and 65 interviews with private and public organisations in Norway. The analysis spans a wide range of sectors, including under-researched areas such as retail and municipalities. Conceptualising the aggregation of sectoral transitions towards sustainability as a “green shift”, we investigate how and to what extent this shift is changing competence needs. Drawing on insights from deep transitions, sustainability transitions, and green skills literatures, we identify three categories of green competences: industry-specific, technical, and fundamental sustainability competences. While industry-specific competences vary by sector, organisations across the economy anticipate increased demand for technical and sustainability competences such as systems thinking, change management, and environmental awareness. The results show that competence change is expected primarily within existing organisational activities rather than through major sectoral restructuring. We argue that these emerging competence needs are not only outcomes of the green shift but also mechanisms through which sustainability transitions are enacted. A narrow focus on technical innovation may overlook essential transversal competences. These findings have implications for education and labour policy, suggesting the need for integrated competence development across disciplines and sectors to prevent bottlenecks and support the green shift.
{"title":"Labour market competences for sustainability transitions: A cross-sectoral analysis in Norway","authors":"Håkon Endresen Normann , Markus Steen , Tuukka Mäkitie","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101100","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101100","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The role of labour and competences has received limited attention in the sustainability transitions literature. This paper starts from the premise that the labour market and the availability of relevant competences are both key enablers for transition processes and domains of impact as transitions unfold. To contribute new insights, we adopt an exploratory multi-method approach using a unique dataset of 7500 survey responses and 65 interviews with private and public organisations in Norway. The analysis spans a wide range of sectors, including under-researched areas such as retail and municipalities. Conceptualising the aggregation of sectoral transitions towards sustainability as a “green shift”, we investigate how and to what extent this shift is changing competence needs. Drawing on insights from deep transitions, sustainability transitions, and green skills literatures, we identify three categories of green competences: industry-specific, technical, and fundamental sustainability competences. While industry-specific competences vary by sector, organisations across the economy anticipate increased demand for technical and sustainability competences such as systems thinking, change management, and environmental awareness. The results show that competence change is expected primarily within existing organisational activities rather than through major sectoral restructuring. We argue that these emerging competence needs are not only outcomes of the green shift but also mechanisms through which sustainability transitions are enacted. A narrow focus on technical innovation may overlook essential transversal competences. These findings have implications for education and labour policy, suggesting the need for integrated competence development across disciplines and sectors to prevent bottlenecks and support the green shift.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article 101100"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2026.101103
Jan Fagerberg
The concern about the current generation’s overuse of the earth’s resources, at the expense of the well-being of future generations, is not new. Already half a century ago, there was a very vivid debate about this issue. A thorough assessment was made in 1975 by the Romanian-American scholar Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, commonly acknowledged as one of the main sources of inspiration of the so-called “degrowth” literature, in an article entitled “Energy and Economic Myths”. However, Georgescu-Roegen’s advice was not to stop economic development, or advocate for harsh sacrifices by those living today. Rather what he suggested was to overhaul the working of the global economy (and the policies associated with it) so that the world becomes a more equitable place, nature (threatened species) is better protected (to our own benefit), and the harm to future generations becomes as small as possible. A key element in making this possible, according to Georgescu-Roegen, was transitioning from a fossil-fuel driven to a solar-powered economy. He also emphasized the need for political, regulatory, and behavioural changes aimed at economizing with scarce resources. It is argued that Georgescu-Roegen’s approach (and program) is indeed very relevant for contemporary discussions of how to deal with important challenges facing both the present and, not the least, future generations.
我们这一代人过度使用地球资源，以牺牲子孙后代的福祉为代价，这种担忧并不新鲜。早在半个世纪以前，关于这个问题就有过一场非常生动的辩论。1975年，罗马尼亚裔美国学者尼古拉斯·乔治斯库-罗根（Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen）在一篇名为《能源与经济神话》（Energy and Economic Myths）的文章中进行了全面的评估，他被普遍认为是所谓“去增长”文学的主要灵感来源之一。然而，乔治斯库-罗根的建议并不是要停止经济发展，也不是提倡那些生活在今天的人做出残酷的牺牲。相反，他的建议是彻底改革全球经济的运作（以及与之相关的政策），这样世界就会变得更加公平，自然（受威胁的物种）得到更好的保护（为了我们自己的利益），对子孙后代的伤害就会尽可能小。根据Georgescu-Roegen的说法，实现这一目标的关键因素是从化石燃料驱动向太阳能驱动的经济过渡。他还强调需要在政治、管理和行为方面作出改变，以期利用稀缺的资源节约。有人认为，Georgescu-Roegen的方法（和计划）确实与当代讨论如何应对当前和未来几代人面临的重要挑战非常相关。
{"title":"Economic development, environmental challenges & the interests of future generations: Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen’s advice revisited","authors":"Jan Fagerberg","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2026.101103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The concern about the current generation’s overuse of the earth’s resources, at the expense of the well-being of future generations, is not new. Already half a century ago, there was a very vivid debate about this issue. A thorough assessment was made in 1975 by the Romanian-American scholar Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, commonly acknowledged as one of the main sources of inspiration of the so-called “degrowth” literature, in an article entitled “Energy and Economic Myths”. However, Georgescu-Roegen’s advice was not to stop economic development, or advocate for harsh sacrifices by those living today. Rather what he suggested was to overhaul the working of the global economy (and the policies associated with it) so that the world becomes a more equitable place, nature (threatened species) is better protected (to our own benefit), and the harm to future generations becomes as small as possible. A key element in making this possible, according to Georgescu-Roegen, was transitioning from a fossil-fuel driven to a solar-powered economy. He also emphasized the need for political, regulatory, and behavioural changes aimed at economizing with scarce resources. It is argued that Georgescu-Roegen’s approach (and program) is indeed very relevant for contemporary discussions of how to deal with important challenges facing both the present and, not the least, future generations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article 101103"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145957194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2025.101097
Tamara Schnell, Jannika Mattes
Legitimation is of central importance for the establishment of socio-technical configurations as sustainable alternatives in sustainability transitions. It is commonly conceptualized as alignment with institutionalized context structures. However, as transitions involve ongoing changes to these structures, institutions may become misaligned, highlighting ambiguities around both legitimacy and illegitimacy. These ambiguities often translate into conflicts over specific socio-technical configurations. We argue that, due to this institutional complexity, legitimation in transitions not only involves actors adapting configurations to existing institutions, but also actively and strategically shaping institutions themselves. Furthermore, we argue that these legitimation strategies are accompanied by processes of illegitimation, which equally contribute to institutional change through a dynamic interplay. To capture this interplay of (il)legitimation, we conceptualize legitimacy gaps as starting points where disagreements over (il)legitimacy in transitions become visible and are negotiated by heterogeneous actors. We propose a framework for analyzing how legitimacy gaps concerning concrete configurations emerge across different institutional dimensions (regulatory, normative, and cultural-cognitive), and how actors identify and respond to them. Empirically, we examine socio-technical configurations surrounding renewable technologies in energy transitions and present a comparative case study of six wind energy projects in Germany. By outlining the interplay between opposing (il)legitimation dynamics, the paper highlights how concrete projects function as active sites of institutional change in sustainability transitions. It shows how conflicts around renewable energy projects shape broader transition dynamics and offers an approach to analyzing contested implementation processes in changing institutional contexts.
{"title":"(Il)Legitimation of renewable energy projects – Legitimacy gaps in socio-technical transitions and actor responses","authors":"Tamara Schnell, Jannika Mattes","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2025.101097","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2025.101097","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Legitimation is of central importance for the establishment of socio-technical configurations as sustainable alternatives in sustainability transitions. It is commonly conceptualized as alignment with institutionalized context structures. However, as transitions involve ongoing changes to these structures, institutions may become misaligned, highlighting ambiguities around both legitimacy and illegitimacy. These ambiguities often translate into conflicts over specific socio-technical configurations. We argue that, due to this institutional complexity, legitimation in transitions not only involves actors adapting configurations to existing institutions, but also actively and strategically shaping institutions themselves. Furthermore, we argue that these legitimation strategies are accompanied by processes of illegitimation, which equally contribute to institutional change through a dynamic interplay. To capture this interplay of (il)legitimation, we conceptualize legitimacy gaps as starting points where disagreements over (il)legitimacy in transitions become visible and are negotiated by heterogeneous actors. We propose a framework for analyzing how legitimacy gaps concerning concrete configurations emerge across different institutional dimensions (regulatory, normative, and cultural-cognitive), and how actors identify and respond to them. Empirically, we examine socio-technical configurations surrounding renewable technologies in energy transitions and present a comparative case study of six wind energy projects in Germany. By outlining the interplay between opposing (il)legitimation dynamics, the paper highlights how concrete projects function as active sites of institutional change in sustainability transitions. It shows how conflicts around renewable energy projects shape broader transition dynamics and offers an approach to analyzing contested implementation processes in changing institutional contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article 101097"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2025.101096
Valeria Costantini , Elena Paglialunga , Angela Zanoni
Achieving sustainability in sociotechnical systems requires transition processes supported by far-reaching policy action. By their very nature, these processes generate diverse and uneven consequences across territories, affecting key socio-economic dimensions such as unemployment, GDP, average disposable income, and the gender employment gap. Moreover, the web of linkages on which policy actions work eludes traditional analytical frameworks. Taking the European Union as a case study of a just transition process, we propose an empirical setting based on a machine learning technique with three main objectives. First, we develop a model that better captures the complexity of a sustainable and just transition process. Second, we compare results with standard quantitative assessment models, and we test whether the resulting insights derived from the implementation of ML-based approach align with economic theory. Third, we explore the potential of a controlled ML framework in supporting context-specific policymaking for a case study of a just and sustainable transition process.
{"title":"More than just transition: Uncovering heterogeneous socio-economic outcomes of climate policies","authors":"Valeria Costantini , Elena Paglialunga , Angela Zanoni","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2025.101096","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2025.101096","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Achieving sustainability in sociotechnical systems requires transition processes supported by far-reaching policy action. By their very nature, these processes generate diverse and uneven consequences across territories, affecting key socio-economic dimensions such as unemployment, GDP, average disposable income, and the gender employment gap. Moreover, the web of linkages on which policy actions work eludes traditional analytical frameworks. Taking the European Union as a case study of a just transition process, we propose an empirical setting based on a machine learning technique with three main objectives. First, we develop a model that better captures the complexity of a sustainable and just transition process. Second, we compare results with standard quantitative assessment models, and we test whether the resulting insights derived from the implementation of ML-based approach align with economic theory. Third, we explore the potential of a controlled ML framework in supporting context-specific policymaking for a case study of a just and sustainable transition process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article 101096"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号