THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON COLLECTIVE ACTION

Sustainability transitions require coordinated action among firms, communities, and institutions, yet collective action remains difficult due to coordination costs and free-rider dynamics. Although social responsibility is often linked to participation and legitimacy, research remains fragmented and unclear on how responsibility becomes durable collective mobilization. This article develops the Responsibility–Collective Action Transformation Framework, arguing that responsibility generates sustained collective action only when institutionally embedded through social capital formation, structured stakeholder governance, and financial alignment. The study reconceptualizes collective action as an institutionally mediated outcome rather than a purely voluntary process.