Stakeholder Alignment Around Technological Pathways in Early‐Stage Sustainability Transitions: A Study of Stakeholder‐Perceived Stakes in Aviation Decarbonization

ABSTRACT This paper examines how stakeholder groups become aligned or remain misaligned around alternative technological pathways during early‐stage sustainability transitions. We develop the concept of stakeholder‐perceived stakes, capturing how stakeholder groups evaluate technological pathways through perceived drivers and holdbacks, and how these evaluations shape coordination dynamics. Drawing on an exploratory qualitative study of aviation decarbonization in Sweden, we analyze interviews with five stakeholder groups concerning three pathways: sustainable aviation fuels, electrification, and hydrogen‐powered aviation. While stakeholders share the goal of decarbonizing aviation, they differ in their evaluations of pathway‐specific opportunities and constraints. These differences generate patterns of alignment and misalignment that influence coordination and shape whether technological pathways consolidate, coexist, or remain fragmented. The paper contributes to sustainability transition and stakeholder research by explaining how stakeholder‐perceived stakes shape stakeholder alignment, coordination dynamics, and pathway development under conditions of technological plurality.