A contextual analysis of local governments’ strategies for circular economy policies

Global megatrends like climate change result in grand challenges that require urgent action. To address these challenges, local governments are increasingly adopting circular economy strategies as a large-scale and long-term policy intervention. These local strategies should fit the local context in order to be effective. Therefore, contextual analysis of local strategies is needed, considering not only their content but also the process and context. This study operationalizes the three dimensions of strategic change—namely, content, context, and process—into a survey distributed among Belgian local governments. The results provide contextual understanding of a large number of local governments’ strategies for the circular economy, and distinguish two clusters, supporting the circular transition. These clusters show that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, highlighting the need for contextual research on strategies for major policy interventions. Points for practitioners This study provides insights into what grand challenges local governments aim to address through the circular economy, the barriers, their focus, and the implementation process. This can inspire local governments and support the transition toward a circular economy. It also shows the need to consider local fit between the strategic content, context, and process.