Bridging Transition Pathways

The paper argues that existing transition models are often either purely quantitative or purely social, lacking a holistic view. By bridging an energy systems model with socio-technical analysis and local action studies, the authors aim to create a more realistic picture of the transition to a low-carbon residential heating system by 2050. The framework integrates niche innovations as scenario options, landscape signals as external drivers, and regime studies to identify governance barriers, while local action studies provide data on community attitudes.

• The study demonstrates that integrating quantitative energy systems models with socio-technical systems analysis and local action studies provides a more comprehensive and 'enriched understanding' of future systems change across multiple dimensions.
• The proposed framework operationalises different social and technical inputs into a model: niche innovations become scenario options, landscape signals act as external drivers, and regime studies highlight governance requirements and barriers.
• The authors conclude that while the approach is meaningful, further research across different sectors and models is necessary to establish generalisable lessons for bridging social science and modelling approaches.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2018). Bridging Transition Pathways. https://www.sei.org/publications/bridging-transition-pathways/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Bridging Transition Pathways. 2018. https://www.sei.org/publications/bridging-transition-pathways/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Bridging Transition Pathways |date=24 April 2018 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/bridging-transition-pathways/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2018bridging, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Bridging Transition Pathways}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/bridging-transition-pathways/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }