The “Wheel of Logics”: Towards conceptualising stability of regimes and transformations in the Global South

Abstract

In transitions theories, a key characteristic of socio-technical regimes is the stability in its socio-technical arrangements. Stability of the regimes (SORs) is the fundamental reason why it is difficult to replace them. However, in the Global South, transition scholars have characterised regimes to be unstable and chaotic, yet these regimes have persisted and thrived for decades. This begs the question: Should regime stability be differently understood in Global South contexts? In this paper, we explore different forms of regime stabilities, based on the presence of multiple institutional logics guiding socio-technical system transformations through multiple regimes. A framework – ‘Wheel of Logics' is developed in which regimes are comprised of multiple ideal-type institutional logics (IILs), and transition is characterised as the change in the composition of logics in the regimes. The paper argues that there can be many forms of dynamic stabilities of regimes – each associated with a specific transformation pattern proposed through the framework. Mobility regimes in a Global South megacity – Kolkata are used as empirical cases to demonstrate the different forms of dynamic stabilities and subsequently different types of regime transformation. The empirical analysis highlights that transitions in the Global South need to be assessed in relation to power dynamics, informality and social exclusions that are more prevalent in these contexts.