A STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS ON THE GLOBAL ACTORS’ ADAPTIVE CHANGE TENDENCIES TOWARDS THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Abstract

This study is devoted to carrying out a structural analysis on the global actors’ adaptive change tendencies towards the circular economy (CE) as a response to the climate crisis. By using the comparative case study method, the study focused on the relationship between China’s, Japan’s, the EU’s and the USA’s main structural patterns and their CE policies. In parallel with their existing institutional structure, China follows a top-down piecemeal social engineering approach, Japan a collaborative approach, the EU a functionalist approach, and the USA a market-centred approach. All these approaches target adaptive changes, and the institutional rationality of these actors could be given as the main reason behind this tendency. The institutional rationality has instrumental and historical components, and both favour an adaptive change over a transformative change. As a result, it could be argued that the structure matters in the global actors’ response to the worsening climate crisis, and a gradual paradigm shift towards the CE seems the only feasible option. However, the structural inclination to strengthen the functionality of the existing linear system via adaptive changes might impede the success of it; thus, the piecemeal adaptive changes should be progressively coordinated towards the targeted circular system.