Belt, Braces and more -overlapping emerging proto-institutions in the field of sustainable buildings

Paper in proceeding, 2014

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the apparent competition between various proto- institutions in the case of the development of sustainable buildings in Denmark. It focuses first on the institutional complexity involving multiple actors and leading to institutional change and secondly on the role of associations in this particular context. It is contended that institutions coexist both as stabilized constellations and as institutions in the making, during processes of institutional change. Concepts for the understanding of the relations between institutions encompass peaceful coexistence, competition and conflict/contradiction. Moreover institutionalisation in a field can involve a range of devices, resources and actors single or collective such as associations. Associations can both contribute to maintenance and well as changing constellations of institutions.