Incumbents' enabling role in niche-innovation: Power dynamics in a wastewater project

被引:28
作者
Ampe, Kasper [1 ,2 ]
Paredis, Erik [2 ]
Asveld, Lotte [1 ]
Osseweijer, Patricia [1 ]
Block, Thomas [2 ]
机构
[1] Delft Univ Technol, Dept Biotechnol, Van der Maasweg 9, NL-2629 HZ Delft, Netherlands
[2] Univ Ghent, Dept Polit Sci, Poel 16, Ghent, Belgium
基金
欧盟地平线“2020”;
关键词
Sustainability transitions; Incumbents; Niche-innovation; Power dynamics; Wastewater; Circular economy; SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITIONS; SOCIOTECHNICAL TRANSITIONS; POLITICS; ENERGY; TECHNOLOGY; ADAPTATION; MANAGEMENT; OWNERSHIP; FRAMEWORK; BARRIERS;
D O I
10.1016/j.eist.2021.03.004
中图分类号
X [环境科学、安全科学];
学科分类号
08 ; 0830 ;
摘要
More pluralised understandings of incumbencies are often overlooked in transitions research, which may lead to underestimating the enabling roles of incumbents in niche projects. This study explores these roles by applying a power framework to five struggles revolving around a path-breaking decentralised wastewater treatment project in the city of Ghent (Belgium). Remark-ably, incumbents from multiple regimes use power to enable the niche project. The study iden-tifies and discusses four patterns in the enabling role of incumbents in niche projects. These patterns are clarified by focussing on incumbents from multiple regimes, belonging to local au-thorities, neighbouring and more distant regimes, as well as on the power of structural trends related to the urgency of sustainability challenges. As such, the study contributes to the under-standing of multiple incumbencies and the conditions under which these may reinforce niche projects. For practitioners, the study underscores the role of power dynamics in the water/ wastewater sector.
引用
收藏
页码:73 / 85
页数:13
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