Change Agency in Sustainability Transitions – a 25-year review of research in management journals (Esitys Corporate Responsibility Research Conferencessa, Leeds 10.-12.9. 2018)

Abstract

<p>Who is an active agent in making the world more environmentally sustainable? This is the question that<br />our paper seeks to answer. Whilst a plethora of research on agents in various roles in sustainability<br />transitions exists, this knowledge is scattered across journals and fields of study. In this paper, we offer<br />a focused review of actors in sustainability transitions, as presented in mainstream management journals<br />in the 25-year period 1992-2017. We focus our search on eight leading journals in the field, thus<br />reviewing 81 articles. The findings lead us to conclude that the study of agency in sustainability<br />transitions, as presented in the field of management, is emerging, yet rapidly increasing. However, this<br />knowledge is scattered across theoretical bases and bodies of knowledge. The main contribution of our<br />paper is to offer a review and typology of agency in sustainability transitions, as presented in the<br />management literature.<br /></p>