A comparative study of Dutch and Chinese policy visions for agricultural transitions by applying the transition management model

Abstract

ABSTRACT Government policies play a crucial role in guiding sustainability transitions by providing directionality and pathways. However, their effectiveness in steering transformative changes remains uncertain in various settings. In this study, a comparative analysis of transition policies in two distinct sociopolitical contexts – the Netherlands and China – is conducted by focusing on their respective policy visions for agricultural transitions, namely, Dutch Circular Agriculture (DCA) and Chinese Agricultural Green Development (CAGD). The transition management (TM) model is used as a benchmark to examine transition policies and to explain the nuanced dynamics of transition governance in the two contexts. Qualitative coding frameworks are developed to facilitate policy analysis. The findings show major deviations in the governance activities of DCA and CAGD from the TM model’s prescriptions. In both contexts, governance activities reproduce the dominant approaches to decision-making and resource organization – the Polder Model in the Netherlands and the Project System in China; however, these approaches are unfavorable for sustainability transitions. This study shows that reassessing path dependence inherent in established governance approaches, which tend to perpetuate incumbent practices, is pertinent for the success of transition policies. The theoretical and policy implications of applying the TM model to transition policy studies are discussed.