Circular Ecosystem Initiation and Governance: Action Research Lessons from an Internal Transition Broker in Local Government

The need to adopt circular economy (CE) innovation at a global level is well documented and recognised by a wide range of stakeholders, including all levels of government. Governance and policy settings are therefore of particular significance to local governments wishing to initiate and facilitate the adoption of CE principles in their precincts. Circular ecosystems have emerged as a critical pathway to CE transition, requiring active orchestration by a designated facilitator. This study explores governance requirements for the initiation and orchestration of circular ecosystems in local government and is undertaken through action research by the first author as a CE professional and as a ‘transition broker’. We identify three causal conditions and seven atypical capability requirements for internal transition broker roles in resource-constrained, local government contexts. We further identify two causal mechanisms that interact with the local (contextual) causal conditions to produce CE specific events and outcomes.