Practices in transitions: Review, reflections, and research directions for a Practice Innovation System PIS approach

Abstract

Social Practice Theories (SPT) can contribute to transition studies by deepening our understanding of the key social mechanisms and dynamics underpinning transitions in everyday life and the role of agency and collective action in processes of social change. Several studies have applied SPTs with concepts from transition studies, and these connections merit attention. The review presented here shows five ways how SPT are applied in studies of system change in transition studies by (i) considering change and continuity in practice elements, niches and regimes, (ii) connecting consumption and production, (iii) going beyond user practices, (iv) mapping diffusions of innovations in daily life and (v) examining policy implications and interventions. Reflecting on this, I argue that the studies in the review show promises of using SPT for transition studies to study system change by linking consumption and production, normality and novelty, stability and instability, micro and macro change, social and technical change, and flat and hierarchal levels. Based on this and a discussion of the need for a practice paradigm of local actions in the MLP, I propose concretising the connections between SPTs, MLP and innovation systems approaches to form a Practice Innovation System framework for future research directions.