Disentangling the ‘capacity to act': variegated resources of individuals exerting change agency

Figures & data

Figure 1. Locations of the studied towns in Czechia. Source: authors, ArcČR 500 – 3.3 version.

Table 1. Distribution of agents of change based on the categories of change agency.

Spheres of change agency	# of agents
Local entrepreneurship	15
Management of transnational corporations and state-owned enterprises	4
Local politics	5
Social cohesion	8
Cultural life	2
Public space revitalization	9

Source: authors.

Table 2. Comparation of identified types of change agency.

Type of CA	Typical agents	Typical CA	Dominant form of capital	Life path-dependency of CA	Temporality of change (long term × radical)	Importance of locally-specific assets for CA
1. CA driven by embodied cultural capital	Founders of local firms and NGOs	Entrepreneurial innovation, social inclusion, and cultural initiatives	Embodied cultural	CA partly directed by various life experiences (study, work, inspiration)	Radical change – locally new, unrelated initiatives	Agents focus on local market niches and missing cultural activities
2. CA driven by bonding social capital	Founders of local firms and NGOs	Building of collaboration between local actors	Bonding social	CA partly directed by various life experiences of agent, family members and/or friends	Usually long term – incremental nature	Local knowledge (awareness of local history and traditions) as a crucial enabler of CA; local problems as motivations
3. CA driven with support of public institutions	NGOs or public sector representatives	Public space revitalization and social inclusion	Bridging social + institutionalized cultural + symbolic	CA strongly related to previous study and working life of agents	Usually long term – incremental nature	Knowledge of local opportunities and problems as a motivation but not enabling resources of CA
4. CA accelerated by symbolic capital	Local politicians	Social inclusion	Symbolic + later bridging social + institutionalized cultural	CA only generally directed by inspiration and long-term collaboration with other actors	Acceleration of change – CA is accelerated by obtaining the possibility of political leadership	Locally specific social issues are motives to act, but not enabling resources of CA
5. CA driven by economic capital	Founders of local firms and managers of TNCs	Various forms of product, process, or service innovation	Economic	CA strongly related to previous study and working life of agents	Long term nature with elements of radical change	Place-specific factors as enablers – CA follows the local knowledge gained in old industries or use material sources of the place

Source: authors.