The role of umbrella organisations in facilitating sustainability transition - the diffusion of energy cooperatives and community-supported agriculture in Europe

Abstract: Umbrella organizations of grassroot innovations can play important roles in facilitating sustainability transitions. This thesis examines such roles by studying national and regional umbrella organizations of energy cooperatives and community-supported agriculture in Europe. Embedded in the Multi-Level Perspective, it applies frameworks on Intermediary Roles, Intermediary Levels and Collective Diffusion Pathways. Based on eleven semi-structured interviews with key umbrella organizations, my results show that umbrella organizations fulfil multiple roles to support their affiliates. Whereas energy umbrella organizations engaged more in replicating and scaling practices of the affiliates, agriculture umbrella organizations assimilated their niche status by focusing on the stabilization. The thesis discusses three main findings that (1) intermediary roles are diverse and dynamic, (2) umbrella organizations foster collective diffusion, but they have diverging interpretations of the role of professionalization, and (3) umbrella organizations can accelerate their diffusion potential by engaging more with regime actors to facilitate sustainability transition.