Multi-level perspective framework in macro project studies: Towards a complex project organizing approach to sustainability transitions

Projectification of the economy and society has contributed to the emergence of the field of macro-project studies which call for more research on the role that project organizations play in the transformation of their environments. Macro perspectives on projects call for a multiple-level perspective (MLP) approach and reveal new theoretical challenges related to complex project organizing. Based on the MLP framework in the field of transition studies (Geels, 2002; Geels and Schot, 2007; Geels and Turnheim, 2022), this article presents an MLP framework that establishes systemic relationships between micro, meso, and macro-level projects. The framework describes three areas of the project: project structure, project performance, and project organization. It establishes bridges between macro project studies and the fast-growing field of sustainability transitions research.