The Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) has become a popular innovation policy for facilitating green transition. The literature has argued that S3 has an urban bias, making it challenging for peripheral regions to implement due to weak structural preconditions. Hence, scholars have questioned the legitimacy of S3 and suggested adjustments to a more context-sensitive approach. However, there is little knowledge regarding how to coordinate and implement innovation policies to achieve green transition in peripheral regions. This study investigates legitimation processes of S3 among regional actors in the peripheral regions of Norway. This is achieved by examining the 'Inland Portfolio', the current strategy for green transition in Inland County. The study demonstrates two main findings. First, several tensions arise between the firm, intermediary and system actors in the legitimation processes because their goals differ. Second, the intermediary actors play an important role in the legitimation of S3 because they are able to 'bridge' and reconcile the various concerns and rationales among the local firm and regional system actors. Hence, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of legitimation processes and innovation policies for green transition in peripheral regions.
The concept of "prefigurative politics" invites geographers to envision transformative change through a shift in practices stemming from a micro level. This article examines and substantiates how this idea is mobilised in relation to current sustainability transformations. A large interdisciplinary group of geographers and transition scholars present topic clusters of prefigurative enablers that instigate and catalyse the enactment of transformative policymaking towards sustainable futures. Drawing on dozens of rich and diverse examples to illustrate cases of transformation, we provide a conceptual perspective to advance the theoretical discussion about triggers and processes of transformative change amongst geographers. We argue for three principles for examining the prefigurative politics of present transformation: (a) multi-scalarity, to consider prefigurative politics across personal-systemic spheres; (b) boundary transgression, to span interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary as well as inward- and outward-looking prefigurative politics; and (c) temporalities, to address institutionalisation and change processes that play out along short and long timelines. Approaching present transformations through a prefigurative politics lens helps identify scope for action that aligns with transformative change. We argue for wider deployment of these principles, to synthesise scholarship, channel micro-level prefigurative political efforts into systemic transformative change, and guide future research and policymaking towards sustainability transformations.
