Section: Research Policy & Development

Regional energy transitions are largely understood as technology-driven processes. We argue that social innovation (SI) is as important and that scrutinizing it calls for an agency perspective. Analysing two examples of SI in energy in Austrian non-core regions, we show how resources, relations and reflexivity enabled agency to promote SI and consequently sustain energy transition. We find that SI produces new regional resources and capacities, provides directionality for transformative change, and herewith aids the consolidation of transition pathways. Hence, we conclude that agency and SI are key variables of sustainability transitions and transformative change that deserve more scholarly attention.

The paper has been published in open access format and is retrievable here: Social innovation for regional energy transition? An agency perspective on transformative change in non-core regions

Suggested citation: Johannes Suitner, Wolfgang Haider & Stefan Philipp (2022) Social innovation for regional energy transition? An agency perspective on transformative change in non-core regions, Regional Studies, DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2022.2053096

Authors: Haider, W., Philipp, S., Johannes Suitner, TU Wien

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