| dc.description.abstract | This research applies and tests the conceptual framework by Hargreaves et al. (2013) to a new empirical context to enhance our understanding of the sustainability transition from car ownership to car-sharing in the Dutch automobility system. This system undergoes significant pressure due to its impact on congestion, environmental pollution, and climate change. Car-sharing can potentially create a more sustainable automobility system, but its diffusion into the established automobility regime is relatively low. This research aims to understand the barriers and challenges of a potential transition and to develop strategies to overcome them. Current literature predominantly used a vertical, hierarchical, and macro approach (using the multi-level perspective MLP) or a horizontal micro approach (using social practice theory SPT) to analyse this potential transition. These two theoretical perspectives are often seen as competing frameworks in the literature. This research aims to prove the added theoretical and practical value of combining these two theoretical lenses to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the transition towards car-sharing. Therefore, this study is guided by the research questions: What are the intersections between the transitions in the automobility regimes and practices from car ownership to car-sharing, and how can these intersections be transformed into points of opportunity to facilitate a more sustainable Dutch automobility system? This research presents new empirical findings from a qualitative case study of the Dutch automobility system and peer-to-peer and business-to-consumer car-sharing services. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with various stakeholders, including car-sharing providers, provinces, municipalities, mobility consultants, car owners, and car-sharing users guided by the MLP and SPT frameworks. The twin analysis revealed six critical intersection points where regimes and practices constrain each other and inhibit the transition to a more sustainable automobility system. The SPT-based analysis added value to the regime transition by identifying constraints faced by the car-sharing niche due to embedded automobility practices, including ownership practices, stacking practices in time and space, and challenges in switching practices. The MLP-based analysis added value to the practice transition by emphasizing the role of wider regimes in disrupting embedded automobility practices, including urban planning, transport, and economic regimes. These intersection points demonstrated that only adopting one theoretical lens might overlook certain innovation dynamics. Moreover, this research provides intervention strategies that can help policymakers leverage the opportunities presented by these intersections to remove regulatory barriers, develop supportive measures, and implement incentives to facilitate car-sharing growth and foster a more sustainable Dutch automobility system. | |
