TY - JOUR
T1 - The Transformative Capacity of Public Sector Organisations in Sustainability Transitions
AU - Borrás, Susana
AU - Haakonsson, Stine
AU - Hendriksen, Christian
AU - Gerli, Francesco
AU - Poulsen, René Taudal
AU - Pallesen, Trine
AU - Croxatto, Lucas Somavilla
AU - Kugelberg, Susanna
AU - Larsen, Henrik
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - Public sector organisations (PSOs) such as municipalities, regulatory bodies, and public utilities are key actors in sustainability transitions. However, the conceptualisation of their transformative capacity is underdeveloped, as several strands of literature pay attention to the topic but remain disjointed. The article takes stock of the literature, reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of the main approaches. Building from there, the article proposes a higher-order holistic conceptual framework based on three constitutive elements: roles, resources, and abilities. We conceptualise the transformative capacity of a public sector organisation as the interaction between its roles, resources, and abilities in the enactment of its transformative agency. This framework offers a granular analytical approach for future empirical studies, acknowledging the diversity of PSOs and sustainability transitions pathways. It also offers practical clues for more targeted efforts to build transformative capacity in PSOs, which is crucial for accelerating transitions.
AB - Public sector organisations (PSOs) such as municipalities, regulatory bodies, and public utilities are key actors in sustainability transitions. However, the conceptualisation of their transformative capacity is underdeveloped, as several strands of literature pay attention to the topic but remain disjointed. The article takes stock of the literature, reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of the main approaches. Building from there, the article proposes a higher-order holistic conceptual framework based on three constitutive elements: roles, resources, and abilities. We conceptualise the transformative capacity of a public sector organisation as the interaction between its roles, resources, and abilities in the enactment of its transformative agency. This framework offers a granular analytical approach for future empirical studies, acknowledging the diversity of PSOs and sustainability transitions pathways. It also offers practical clues for more targeted efforts to build transformative capacity in PSOs, which is crucial for accelerating transitions.
KW - Sustainability transitions
KW - Public administration
KW - Green sustainability
KW - Capacity
KW - Dynamic capabilities
KW - Bureaucracy
KW - Sustainability transitions
KW - Public administration
KW - Green sustainability
KW - Capacity
KW - Dynamic capabilities
KW - Bureaucracy
U2 - 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100904
DO - 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100904
M3 - Review article
SN - 2210-4224
VL - 53
JO - Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
JF - Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
M1 - 100904
ER -