The Great Reconfiguration

Abstract

This book is intended for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners interested in the dynamics and governance of low-carbon transitions. Drawing on the Multi-Level Perspective, it develops a whole system reconfiguration approach that explains how the incorporation of multiple innovations can cumulatively reconfigure existing systems. The book focuses on UK electricity, heat, and mobility systems, and it systematically analyses interactions between radical niche-innovations and existing (sub)systems across techno-economic, policy, and actor dimensions in the past three decades. Comparative analysis explains why the unfolding low-carbon transitions in these three systems vary in speed, scope, and depth. It evaluates to what degree these transitions qualify as Great Reconfigurations and assesses the future potential for, and barriers to, deeper low-carbon system transitions. Generalising across these systems, broader lessons are developed about the roles of incumbent firms, governance and politics, user engagement, wider public, and civil society organisations. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Enabling a political tipping point for rapid decarbonisation in the United Kingdom

“…This in turn emboldens politicians and others involved in the policy phase to build their own policy coalitions, with self-reinforcing policy feedbacks (Lockwood, 2015). The process is illustrated in Figure 1 as an adapted multi-level perspective (Geels and Turnheim, 2022). Thematic analysis of experts' views generated the following enabling conditions for a positive tipping point as themes:…”

Low-carbon electrification as a multi-system transition: a socio-technical analysis of Norwegian maritime transport, construction, and chemical sectors

“…The MLP suggests that transitions involve multidimensional interactions between radical nicheinnovations and existing regimes in the context of broader 'landscape' developments (Geels and Turnheim 2022). Since most MLP studies focus on single systems, we draw on recent multi-system interaction research within the transitions literature (McMeekin et al 2019, Rosenbloom 2020, Andersen and Geels 2023 to broaden the analytical scope.…”

“…Our analysis is guided by an extended version of the multi-level perspective (MLP), which conceptualises socio-technical systems as consisting of technologies, actors, and institutions (Geels 2004, Geels andTurnheim 2022). Focusing on these three dimensions, we analyse the diffusion and implementation of electric technologies as well as interactions with the electricity distribution system.…”

Community participation in electricity markets: The impact of market organisation

“…The focus of transition studies lies on the underlying processes and patterns of the radical transformation of socio-technical systems towards new, more sustainable configurations. Socio-technical systems are structured along three interactive dimensions, which provide valuable insights into how transitions can unfold (Geels, 2004;Summeren et al, 2021;Rohracher, 2001;Fünfschilling and Truffer, 2016;Geels and Turnheim, 2022): actors, institutions (i.e. rules, norms and beliefs) and technologies (i.e.…”