Abstract
Transitions from one socio-technical regime configuration to another entail long phases of institutional complexity, where two or more field logics co-exist in a sector and induce incompatibilities and frictions. This paper presents a dynamic phase model, which characterizes the types of institutional complexity that may build up and settle across various phases of a transition, illustrated with a case study from the diffusion of onsite water reuse in San Francisco. Results from semi-structured expert interviews and a focus group demonstrate that different forms of institutional complexity may follow each other in a transition trajectory and that formidable strategic agency is needed by the actors in a field in navigating prolonged phases of competing cultural demands. Gaining a more balanced perspective of both organizational and field-level reconfigurations may help better explain why transitions succeed in some places and fail in others.
Highlights
Sustainability transitions are entering a new phase of development in many sectors
This paper presents a dynamic phase model, which characterizes the types of institutional complexity that may build up and settle across various phases of a transition, illustrated with a case study from the diffusion of onsite water reuse in San Francisco
We will present the transition trajectory for San Franciscoâs adoption of onsite non-potable water systemsâ (ONWS), providing contextual background on how stakeholders engaged with one another, major drivers of change in each phase, and describing the type of institutional complexity that was present throughout the transition phases covered in our phase model
Summary
Sustainability transitions are entering a new phase of development in many sectors. Novel socio-technical configurations have diffused widely and reached a level of maturity that makes them directly compete with long-established regimes (Markard, 2018). This paper aims at contributing to this debate by exploring the role of institutional complexity in transition trajectories It draws on the âinstitutional perspective on transitionsâ (Fuenfschilling, 2019), which conceptualizes transitions as shifts from a dominant socio-technical configuration with a deeply institutionalized guiding logic to a new configuration with a transformed underlying field logic (Fuenfschilling and Truffer, 2014; Fuenfschilling, 2019). In transitions between (e.g., fossil-fuel based and renewable) config urations, actors strategically institutionalize new values, beliefs and technologies, while they de-institutionalize existing ones This process, by definition, is prone to institutional complexity; actors will have to navigate periods in which two or more incompatible field logics co-exist and compete with each other, potentially causing friction and confusion about where the sector is heading
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
