Sustainability transitions in the making: A closer look at actors, strategies and resources

Abstract

Attention is drawn to the dynamic interaction between what different kinds of actors do and what can be observed at the system level. It aims to provide a closer look at how strategies, resources and capabilities of individuals, firms and other organizations impact the overall system and trigger transformation processes, and how these changes at the system level feed-back into the observed strategies at the actor level. This is important, not in the least because the particularity of sustainability transitions is that they are often purposefully initiated (or supported) and directed in the sense that long-term future visions are supposed to guide these transitions.While guidance of distributed actors is essential, it has been acknowledged that future visions as well as the means to achieve these visions are contested, with different actor groups claiming and advocating different interests. As we improve our understanding of the dynamic interplay of different actors involved in innovation and transition processes, we will be able to untangle some of the complexities of transitions unfolding at the system level. To contribute to this general line of reasoning, our special issue calls particular attention to the strategies and resources of actors in sustainability transitions. In this introduction we will concentrate on the following questions knowing that these can only shed light on some of the complex issues at hand: – What strategies do actors adopt to shape sustainability transitions and what resources do they mobilize and deploy in the realization of these strategies? – What kinds of different actors play a role in these transformation processes and how can and do they align their strategies (and resources) to achieve common goals?