The State in the governance of sustainable mobility transitions in the informal transport sector

Abstract

We aim to contribute to the theorization in the governance of sustainable mobility transition in the informal transport sector with the State as the central actor and meta-governor. Because of the need to accelerate radical transitions in shorter timeframes, the role of the State as an agent is being recently considered. Using the ongoing Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) as a case study, we expound on the governance styles of the State in reforming the various sub-systems that make up the complex informal transport sector of a developing country, the Philippines. The PUVMP is dubbed as the biggest non-infrastructure public transport reform project by the current Philippine government. Our work represents a departure from the dominant focus of extant literature, mainly characterized by studies on State-sanctioned formal transport systems in the Western context. A key insight of the article is that while the State can deploy instruments of governance to accelerate the destabilization of the incumbent transport regime, the speed at which the State can foster the development of new niches that can displace the old regime can still be gradual. We end by discussing limitations and agenda for future work.