The role of governance in accelerating transition towards more integrated, service-oriented infrastructure operation

Infrastructure operation in the UK can be described as separate utility systems provisioning unconstrained demand, with higher throughput corresponding to higher profits. A more sustainable approach would prioritise coordinated infrastructure operation focused on essential service delivery at the lowest possible resource use. However, the presiding policy paradigm reinforces the current regime to such an extent that it constrains the necessary transition to a more sustainable infrastructure system. This paper combines the findings of existing case study research with insights from theories of multi- level governance, co-evolution and institutional dynamics to improve our understanding of how governance systems could accelerate the transition to more resource efficient, service-oriented infrastructure operation. We develop a governance analysis framework to improve the understanding of this transition and in particular the role that governance might take in managing its acceleration. The framework allows analysts to identify elements or relationships that are absent from a system of interest or that are constrained by the current governance system. This can be used to identify alternative approaches to governance that remove barriers to transitions or enable the creation of a necessary element and accelerate desirable transitions.