Bumps on the road: Barriers and enablers of sustainability transitions in China

Sustainability transitions in China are driven by on-going governmental interventions to overcome market, structural and transformational socio-ecological system failures. Organizations need to cope with governmental interventions and embrace change. Previous research on sustainability transitions raises questions about 1) how different organizational actors are embedded in socio-ecological systems and regime structures, and 2) the challenges that organizations face in non-OECD countries. Taking a network approach, we conducted research in the Chinese energy sector during 2016 from which we identified market, structural and transformational policy interventions. Interestingly we witnessed these interventions acting as both enablers and barriers to sustainability transitions in China. We further conclude that there are four broad categories of governmental interventions in sustainability transitions that may enable or hinder organizational action: 1) coordinated planning; 2) enforcement of legislative changes; 3) security of electricity supply, and 4) supporting policies for renewable electricity