How power and politics shape niche-regime interactions: A view from the Global South

Abstract

The significant role of politics in shaping sustainability transitions (ST) is well-recognized but still under-researched, especially in the Global South, where institutional context can differ widely from the Global North. For instance, informal transport is a unique and common feature of many Global South countries and constitutes complexity that is not captured adequately by transition studies’ conceptual frameworks. This study explores how power and politics surrounding informal occupations shape niche-regime interactions in a Global South country by examining the emergence, development and subsequent legitimization of the informal electric rickshaw (ER) transport in Delhi (India). The study shows the limitation of dichotomous conceptualizations like niche/new entrants vs. regime/incumbents and fit-and-conform vs. stretch-and-transform in understanding niche-regime interactions and argues that studying how politics of transition unfolds in the Global South's informal spaces can broaden the conceptual horizons.