Abstract
A defining characteristic of sustainability transitions research is its focus on complex and multifaceted environmental challenges, often conceptualized as wicked problems, including climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss. A central analytical perspective within this field is the examination of socio-technical systems—such as energy, mobility, and food—that contribute to these crises. The prevailing argument is that these environmental challenges are not merely unintended consequences but are structurally embedded within the existing configurations of these systems (Pel & Sterling, 2024). Addressing sustainability challenges, therefore, requires more than incremental improvements; it necessitates fundamental transformations in the structures, practices, and governance of these systems. Such transformations involve shifts in technological frameworks, institutional arrangements, economic models, and cultural practices that currently reinforce unsustainable trajectories. Consequently, sustainability transitions research seeks to understand the dynamics of systemic change, including the actors, mechanisms, and socio-political conditions that either enable or constrain such transitions.