Institutional activism within the local state: exploring ambitions for deep transformation in Amsterdam

This paper explores local state institutions as potential arenas for transformative practices. Building on the tension in transformation scholarship identifying states as both barriers and essential agents in achieving deep transformations, we adopt a processual, relational view of the state – as offered by the concept of institutional work . Through this lens, we analyze two mobilizations within Amsterdam’s institutional landscape. First, the local state selectively integrating the Doughnut Economics framework into local governance. The second, involved 800 civil servants raising concerns about governmental inaction on the climate crisis through a Brandbrief – an Urgent Climate Letter. Drawing on comprehensive ethnographic fieldwork tracing the development of both mobilizations, we offer a detailed account of how Amsterdam’s administrative and political staff engage in the work of institutional transformation. By substantiating and refining the concept of institutional activism , we offer a nuanced perspective on the actual and potential roles of local state actors in driving deep transformations, contributing to ongoing debates about the state's role in transformation scholarship.