Coupling multilevel perspective with causal layered analysis on non-reflexive societies the case of socio-technical system of car fuel in Iran.

• MLP literature focusing on developing societies lacks the support of grand social theory. • Coupling it with CLA plus deconstruction strategy is the best fix for MLP. • There are multi layers of causal relationships to analyze transition failures. • The deepest layer, metaphor layer, once deconstructed, revealed the structures of cultural landscape. • Action research workshop on the case finds transition may systematically exclude some people. This paper starts with a literature review that shows there is a clear difference between the literature of multilevel perspective with original focus in north Europe with reflexive governance and the new literature which documents the sustainability transition in non-reflexive societies. My argument is that the literature with emerging focus does not rely on the grand theories of social change in contrast to the literature with original focus. Based on this argument, I raise two questions: 1- what does MLP lack to study transitions in these societies. 2- What is the normative stand upon which the sustainability transition should be based. To address these questions, the paper used a post-structuralist tool box in the process of an action research workshop with a CLA structure. The case study was that of the car fuel socio-technical system in Iran. The paper concludes two points: 1- The coupling of Multilevel Perspective and Causal Layered Analysis can find facts which would have been hidden if the research were confined to the MLP framework. 2- Reflexiveness calls for societal platform to disclose and project discursive struggles and facilitate the inclusion of others. This is absent in vast part of developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]