Legitimizing path development by interlinking institutional logics: The case of Israel's desert tourism. (November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Benner, Maximilian
• Is Part Of: Local economy. Volume 37:Number 7(2022)
• Page Start: 564
• Page End: 583
• Publication Date: 2022-11
• Subjects: evolutionary economic geography -- institutional logics -- legitimacy -- path development -- neo-institutional sociology; Great Britain -- Economic policy -- Periodicals; 330.941
• DOI: 10.1177/02690942231172728
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-0942

Abstract

The legitimation of new regional industrial paths has become a crucial issue in path development since it touches the institutional foundations of spatial evolution and fits the recent interest in agency. Neo-institutional sociology offers a wealth of insights for how agents build legitimacy. In particular, the institutional logics perspective suggests multiple material and symbolic sources of legitimacy. Seeking a deeper contextualization of paths into their socio-institutional environment, this article argues that new paths are legitimized by agents interlinking institutional logics through symbolic constructions such as visions. Empirical examples from two tourism destinations in Israel illustrate this mechanism.