Abstract
Institutional change is crucial for the transitions of socio-technical systems. This study addresses why some actors have strong agency by uncovering the determinants of their influence on formal institutions. We focused on a recent and major policy process in Swiss waste management as the empirical case. We carried out content analysis of consultation documents, expert surveys, online questionnaire and social network analysis. The resulting data were then analysed with Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to determine the necessary and sufficient conditions associated with large influence. Results suggest that only several actors have a major influence on the policy output. Possessing material or non-material resources is found to be necessary yet not sufficient, as actors need to exhibit high activity and embeddedness in social networks or articulate a discourse rich in various concepts. By elucidating the configuration of endowments critical for actors’ influence on formal institutions, this study yields novel insights into the ingredients of strong agency. The analytical approach we present can be applied to various settings and thus can be pursued for a systematic analysis on the determinants of actors’ influence and how it varies with political or organizational context.
Highlights
Against the backdrop of increasing anthropogenic pressure on the environment, transition studies is concerned with how transport, en ergy, agriculture and other systems of provision such as water and waste management can be transformed to more sustainable alternatives (Markard et al, 2012)
The results show that only a limited number of actors had strong agency in Swiss waste management
Which type or set of endowments are crucial for their agency? To tackle these questions, we look closer into the neces sary and sufficient conditions and their implications for power relations and transitions in Swiss waste management
Summary
Against the backdrop of increasing anthropogenic pressure on the environment, transition studies is concerned with how transport, en ergy, agriculture and other systems of provision such as water and waste management can be transformed to more sustainable alternatives (Markard et al, 2012). Smith and Stirling (2010) underlined the need for an explicit analysis of power issues and politics in both social-ecological systems and sustain ability transitions. Transition studies have long been criticized for overlooking the role of politics, agency and power struggles among the actors (Farla et al, 2012; Markard and Truffer, 2008; Shove and Walker, 2007; Smith et al, 2010). This emphasis is crucial because bringing about far-reaching changes in socio-technical systems is likely to spark tensions and power struggles among actors with varying interests
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