Socio-technical transition (sustainability transition) Compelling evidence in the 21st century suggests there is a great need for change

in production processes and consumption patterns underpinned by alternative technological trajectories to ensure global welfare and sustainability. These changes will involve deepstructural alterations in both social and technological entities within systems ( e.g. energy, transportation agriculture). Literature on the relationship between social and technological systems have developed the concept of co-evolution, termed socio-technical transition; which proposes that technological transitions geared towards long lasting change in society does not occur in isolation, but also involves significant changes in social systems such as user practices, regulation, markets, industrial networks, infrastructure, and culture. Essentially, the concept of socio-technical transition embraces a set of processes that lead to fundamental shift in systems with far-reaching changes along different technological, material, organizational, institutional, political, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions (Research Policy 41 (2012) 955 967). In that same context sustainability transition can loosely be defined as a multi-dimensional (i.e. dimensions of both social and technical) and fundamental transformation processes through which established social-technical systems shift to more sustainable modes. According to proponents ( ) these changes towards sustainability do not occur easily, primarily because most existing (socio-technical) systems are stabilized by lock-in mechanisms that relate to deep-rooted investments, behavioral patterns, vested interests, infrastructure, favorable subsidies and regulations. Consequently, established socio-technical systems ideally grow stronger rather than undergoing radical change towards a path of sustainability. Large Technical Systems like energy supply, telecommunication, transportation and water supply are most often conceptualized as socio-technical systems; since these entities consist of both social (such as networks of individuals and firms; societal norms; knowledge, policies etc) and technical elements (such as machines, factories, pipelines etc. ) working together to provide a specific service to society. Notably, the interplaying between these elements leads to complex behaviors, which cast fundamental uncertainties on sustainability outcomes and decision processes. The theory of socio-technical transition adequately provides a useful heuristics for structuring and framing these complex system dynamics. Most importantly this area of inquiry (socio-technical transition) offers an integrative platform, which draws

knowledge from several disciplines and literatures (such social construct of technology, actor network theory, transition management, multi-level perspective, strategic niche management evolutionary economic, industrial ecology and among many other) to analyze and understand the dynamics of socio-technical systems from a sustainability perspective. Theories and literature on sustainability transition follows two major strands of analysis: innovation system approach and multi-layer approach. Inherently the focus of the innovation systems approach involves the study of networks of individual actors, organizations and institutes that creating new knowledge develops, diffuse and use emerging technologies. under this strand of analysis particular attention is given

system of innovation is defined as networks of organisations and institutions that develop, diffuse and use innovations The second strand multi-layer approach focuses on studying synergistic pressure at subsystems levels required to influence change on entrenched and mainstream systems.

Additionally, conceptualizing LTS in a socio-technical context provides an analytical platform to analyze transition interventions as cultural and political resource which are shaped by stakeholders response to change.

The analytical approach of sociotechnical imaginaries allows us to view the policies and strategies for realizing energy transitions as cultural and political resources that help shape and illicit social responses to technological changes

For infrastructural technologies (water, energy,transport etc.) such conceptualisations have informed analysis of the ways in which the often hidden and mundane services of everyday life are provided and how systems of provision have evolved over time(Hughes 1983; Schwartz Cowan 1987; Southerton

In order to

RET and EET market as a socio-technical systems Market induced transformation is complex in nature and marred with uncertainties, also this process induces significant changes and interactions across scales of societal values, technology, and institutions. Due to the complexities involved in the process of inducing transformation in a market, this study will adopt a multi-level perspective (MLP) approach as an analytical framework. This analytical approach is grounded on theory of transition, a theory which focuses on understanding radical and systemic socio-technical change towards sustainable development.