Contingent capacity: navigating organizational dependency in Dutch municipal energy transitions

Municipalities implementing energy transition mandates rely on contingent workers to fill capacity and expertise gaps, raising concerns about dependency and knowledge loss. Drawing on Resource Dependence Theory and client–consultant literature, this study develops a framework capturing the feedback loop between external reliance and internal capacity development. Fifteen interviews across six Dutch municipalities show that labour shortages and temporary subsidies drive contingent hiring, while short contracts and limited knowledge transfer heighten dependency. Municipalities facing similar constraints diverge through knowledge integration, governance arrangements, and relational dynamics. It advances public administration scholarship by conceptualising dependency as a process rather than structural outcome.