Legitimising an emerging transformer mission: an abductive exploration of energy poverty policy in the Netherlands

Abstract Missions have the potential to induce transformative change to address complex societal problems. Nevertheless, the dynamics shaping the legitimisation process of emerging missions in policies remain largely unexplored. This article explores how legitimacy is negotiated during the emergence of a transformer mission through an abductive case study of energy poverty in the Netherlands. We conceptualize the emerging mission arena as the coalition of the willing that negotiates the legitimacy of this emerging mission. This legitimisation process is defined by actors’ diverging interpretations regarding what causes energy poverty and who should address it when, why, where, and how. To address these contestation points, our case study identifies five coordination strategies aimed at achieving convergence. Finally, our findings suggest that legitimising an emerging mission in policies is difficult due to transition voids, which happen when solving the societal problem falls beyond the responsibility and mandate of a singular governmental body, thereby increasing policy coordination costs.