Sustainability against the logics of the state: Political and institutional barriers in the Chilean infrastructure sector
No. 13 (2025-09-16)Author(s)
-
Denise MislehPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Chile)ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8056-4492
-
Juliane DziulmaUnited Nations University (Alemania)ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1491-0385
-
María De la GarzaUnited Nations University (Alemania)ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5076-4795
-
Edeltraud GuentherUnited Nations University (Alemania)ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6968-9238
Abstract
The state is often portrayed as a progressive entity enabling transition processes. However, this article delves into the limitations faced by state institutions, which have been identified as resistant to change and entrenched in path dependence. This article explores the political and institutional barriers that state institutions encounter when implementing sustainability approaches in the infrastructure sector in Chile. The article argues that explanations based on path dependence and lock-in overlook the crucial political and strategic dimensions of policy and institutional inertia. Employing a Strategic Relational Approach (SRA) reveals that the identified barriers, such as limited state capacity and institutional logics, are strategically employed by state and civil society actors to maintain a growth-oriented policy paradigm conflicting with sustainability goals. State barriers constitute a system of strategic selectivity to discourage the adoption of sustainability approaches while favouring incumbent actors, market-based systems, and those specific infrastructures of the growth-oriented paradigm.
References
Apajalahti, E. y Kungl, G. (2022). Path Dependence and Path Break-Out in the Electricity Sector. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 43, 220–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2022.03.010
Arthur, W. B. (1994). Increasing Returns and Path Dependence in the Economy. University of Michigan Press.
Argyriou, I. y Barry, J. (2021). The Political Economy of Socio-Technical Transitions: A Relational View of the State and Bus System Decarbonization in the United Kingdom. Energy Research & Social Science, 79, 102174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102174
Avelino, F., Grin, J., Pel, B. y Jhagroe, S. (2016). The politics of sustainability transitions. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 18(5), 557–567. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2016.1216782
Brand, U., Görg, C. y Wissen, M. (2020). Overcoming Neoliberal Globalization: Social-Ecological Transformation from a Polanyian Perspective and Beyond. Globalizations, 17(1), 161–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2019.1644708
Consejo de Políticas de Infraestructura [CPI] (2023). Chile: Inversión en Infraestructura pública 2005-2022. 5° Reporte de Infraestructura.
Dale, G. (2012). The growth paradigm: a critique.
Dirección de Presupuestos [DIPRES] (2021). Anuario Estadístico del empleo público 2011-2020 en el Gobierno Central.
Dirección de Presupuestos [DIPRES] (2023). Presupuesto abierto. https://presupuestoabierto.gob.cl/
Downie, C. (2017). Business Actors, Political Resistance, and Strategies for Policymakers. Energy Policy, 108, 583–592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.06.018
Eckersley, R. (2021a). Greening States and Societies: From Transitions to Great Transformations. Environmental Politics, 30(1–2), 245–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2020.1810890
Engel, E., Fischer, R., y Galetovic, A. (1999). The Chilean Infrastructure Concessions Program: Evaluation, Lessons and Prospects for the Future (Documento de trabajo N.° 60). Centro de Economía Aplicada, Universidad de Chile.
Feola, G. (2020). Capitalism in Sustainability Transitions Research: Time for a Critical Turn? Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 35, 241–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2019.02.005
Foxon, T. J. (2002). Technological and Institutional ‘Lock-In’ as a Barrier to Sustainable Innovation. Change, 1–9.
Fuenfschilling, L. (2019). An Institutional Perspective on Sustainability Transitions. En F. Boons y A. McMeekin (Eds.), Handbook of Sustainable Innovation. Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788112574
Fuenfschilling, L. y Truffer, B. (2014). The Structuration of Socio-Technical Regimes–Conceptual Foundations from Institutional Theory. Research Policy, 43(4), 772–791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.10.010
Geels, F. W. (2014). Regime Resistance against Low-Carbon Transitions: Introducing Politics and Power into the Multi-Level Perspective. Theory, Culture & Society, 31(5), 21–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276414531627
Goldstein, J. E., Neimark, B., Garvey, B. y Phelps, J. (2023). Unlocking ‘‘Lock-In” and Path Dependency: A Review Across Disciplines and Socio-Environmental Contexts. World Development, 161, 106116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.106116
Green, J. (2022). Comparative Capitalisms in the Anthropocene: A Research Agenda for Green Transition. New Political Economy, 28(3) 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563467.2022.2109611
Hess, D. (2014). Sustainability Transitions: A Political Coalition Perspective. Research Policy, 43(2), 278–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.10.008
Hidalgo, R., Paulsen, A. y Santana, L. (2016). El neoliberalismo subsidiario y la búsqueda de justicia e igualdad en el acceso a la vivienda social: El caso de Santiago de Chile (1970-2015). Andamios, 13(32), 57–81.
Hueske, A. K. y Guenther, E. (2018). Balancing Comprehensiveness and Parsimony: Towards a Context-Specific Barrier Identification Across Multiple Levels Combined With Complexity Reduction Through Barrier Groups. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management - JET-M, 49(June), 46–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jengtecman.2018.05.002
Jessop, B. (1990). State Theory. Putting the Capitalist State in Its Place. Polity.
Jessop, B. (2013). State power. Polity.
Johnstone, P. y Newell, P. (2018). Sustainability Transitions and the State. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 27,72–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2017.10.006
Kallis, G., Kostakis, V., Lange, S., Muraca, B., Paulson, S. y Schmelzer, M. (2018). Research on Degrowth. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 43, 291–316. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-102017-025941
Kern, F., Kuzemko, C. y Mitchell, C. (2014). Measuring and Explaining Policy Paradigm Change: the Case of UK Energy Policy. Policy and Politics, 42(4), 513–531. https://doi.org/10.1332/030557312X655765
Kiechel, V. (2021). Extraction and the Built Environment. In J. Shapiro & J.-A. McNeish (Eds.), Our Extractive Age. Expressions of violence and resistance (pp. 114–132). Routledge, London. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003127611-9
Klitkou, A., Bolwig, S., Hansen, T. y Wessberg, N. (2015). The Role of Lock-In Mechanisms in Transition Processes: The Case of Energy for Road Transport. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 16, 22–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2015.07.005
Köhler, J., Geels, F. W., Kern, F., Markard, J., Onsongo, E., Wieczorek, A., Alkemade, F., Avelino, F., Bergek, A., Boons, F., Fünfschilling, L., Hess, D., Holtz, G., Hyysalo, S., Jenkins, K., Kivimaa, P., Martiskainen, M., McMeekin, A., Mühlemeier, M. S., … Wells, P. (2019). An Agenda for Sustainability Transitions Research: State of the Art and Future Directions. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 31, 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2019.01.004
Lawhon, M. y Murphy, J. T. (2012). Socio-Technical Regimes and Sustainability Transitions: Insights from Political Ecology. Progress in Human Geography, 36(3), 354–378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132511427960
Leiva Lavalle, J. (2010). Instituciones e instrumentos para el planeamiento gubernamental en América Latina (Textos para Discussão – CEPAL/IPEA, N.º 5; LC/BRS/R.237). Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) & Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (IPEA). https://hdl.handle.net/11362/28163
Loorbach, D., Frantzeskaki, N. y Avelino, F. (2017). Sustainability Transitions Research: Transforming Science and Practice for Societal Change. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 42, 599–626. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-102014-021340
Loorbach, Derk, N. F. y Thissen., W. (2010). Introduction to the Special Section: Infrastructures and Transitions. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 77(8), 1195–1202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2010.06.001
Madariaga, A. (2020). Neoliberal Resilience Lessons in Democracy and Development from Latin America and Eastern Europe. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvxrpz2p
Markard, J. (2011). Transformation of Infrastructures: Sector Characteristics and Implications for Fundamental Change. Journal of Infrastructure Systems, 17(3), 107–117. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)is.1943-555x.0000056
Meadowcroft, J. (2005). Environmental Political Economy, Technological Transitions and the State. New Political Economy, 10(4), 479–498. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563460500344419
Meadowcroft, J. (2009). What About the Politics? Sustainable Development, Transition Management, and Long Term Energy Transitions. Policy Sciences, 42(4), 323–340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-009-9097-z
Meadowcroft, J. (2011). Engaging with the Politics of Sustainability Transitions. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 1(1), 70–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2011.02.003
Meckling, J. y Nahm, J. (2018). The Power of Process: State Capacity and Climate Policy. Governance, 31(4), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12338
Meckling, J. y Nahm, J. (2022). Strategic State Capacity: How States Counter Opposition to Climate Policy. Comparative Political Studies, 55(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140211024308
Newell, P. (2019). Trasformismo or Transformation? The Global Political Economy of Energy Transitions Economy of Energy Transitions. Review of International Political Economy, 26(1), 25–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/09692290.2018.1511448
OECD (2016). Regulatory Policy in Chile: Government Capacity to Ensure High-Quality Regulation. OECD Reviews of Regulatory Reform. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264254596-en
OECD (2017). Gaps and Governance Standards of Public Infrastructure in Chile Infrastructure Governance Review. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264278875-en
Paterson, M. (2016). Political Economy of the Greening of the State. En T. Gabrielson, C. Hall, J. M. Meyer yD. Schlosberg (eds.), The Oxford handbook of environmental political theory (pp. 475–490). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199685271.013.34
Pierson, P. (2000). Increasing Returns, Path Dependence, and the Study of Politics. The American Political Science Review. The American Political Science Review, 94(2), 251–267. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2586011
Rosenbloom, D., Meadowcroft, J. y Cashore, B. (2019). Stability and Climate Policy? Harnessing Insights on Path Dependence, Policy Feedback, and Transition Pathways. Energy Research and Social Science, 50, 168–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2018.12.009
Seto, K. C., Davis, S. J., Mitchell, R. B., Stokes, E. C., Unruh, G. y Ürge-Vorsatz, D. (2016). Carbon Lock-In: Types, Causes, and Policy Implications. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 41, 425–452. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-110615-085934
Sheng, F., Kempf, I., Kumar, P., Noronha, L., Stone, S. y Sukhdev, P. (2015). Uncovering pathways towards an inclusive green economy: A summary for leaders. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). https://www.unep.org/resources/report/uncovering-pathways-towards-inclusive-green-economy-summary-leaders
Silvester, B. R.y Fisker, J. K. (2023). A Relational Approach to the Role of the State in Societal Transitions and Transformations Towards Sustainability. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 47, 100717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2023.100717
Solimano, A. (2012). Chile and the Neoliberal Trap The Post-Pinochet Era. Cambridge University Press.
Thacker, S., Adshead, D., Fay, M., Hallegatte, S., Harvey, M., Meller, H., O’Regan, N., Rozenberg, J., Watkins, G.y Hall, J. W. (2019). Infrastructure for Sustainable Development. Nature Sustainability, 2, 324–331. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0256-8
Torfing, J. (2009). Rethinking Path Dependence in Public Policy Research. Critical Policy Studies, 3(1), 70–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/19460170903158149
UNEP (2021). International good practice principles for sustainable infrastructure. https://www.uncclearn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Session-1b-UNEP_International-Good-Practice-Principles-for-Sustainable-Infrastructure.pdf
Unruh, G. C. (2000). Understanding Carbon Lock-In. Energy Policy, 30(4), 317–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-4215(00)00070-7
World Commission on Environment and Development [WCED]. (1987). Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Note by the Secretary-General (A/42/427). United Nations. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/139811?ln=es&v=pdf
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Denise Misleh, Juliane Dziulma, Maria De la Garza, Edeltraud Guenther

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.