The value of configuration of interests to understand Transformative Potential : a case-study on Giglio Island’s energy system

Transformative Potential (TP) describes the ability of a system to undergo fundamental change. Existing frameworks disaggregate TP into components, yet the role of agents’ interest is largely overlooked, despite its centrality for collaboration, conflict, and guiding transformation. This thesis addresses this gap by using the conceptualization of interest from social realism, and applying it to the case study of Giglio Island’s energy system. Using a configurational perspective, the thesis analyzes how interests are shaped by structural, cultural, and agential factors, and how the configuration of agents' interest related to both the current diesel-based system and possible alternatives looks like. By integrating the configuration of interests (CoI) into TP frameworks, this study advances understanding of where the potential for change or no change resides, and contributes to the CoI framework itself, adding a focus on systemic emergent properties.