2.2 Comparative Analytical Criteria for Industrial Transition Ecosystems
The methodological operationalization of heavy industrial decarbonization demands an analytical architecture capable of assessing both institutional steering and inter-firm coordination across emergent production networks. To evaluate the systemic governance capacity of northern industrial ecosystems, this research establishes a multi-dimensional comparative framework grounded in institutional policy trajectory and supply chain governance criteria. First, policy discourse and strategic transition roadmaps are evaluated through the analytical lens of promissory legitimacy ("Catalyzing Industrial Decarbonization," 2022), tracking how state-backed socio-technical visions mobilize capital investments, municipal planning mandates, and territorial infrastructure prioritization. Second, the comparative framework incorporates the institutional governance mechanisms and political steering instruments that guide national transformations toward fossil-free heavy industrial regimes within welfare state arrangements ("Politics and Governance of Sweden's Transformation," 2024). Third, upstream and downstream value chain interactions are categorized along formal contractual arrangements and relational coordination mechanisms, which together determine green supply chain practices and organizational performance across emerging industrial networks ("Supply Chain Governance Mechanisms," 2021). By systematically triangulating programmatic state steerage with relational value chain dynamics, this methodological design establishes a rigorous evaluation matrix. This structured approach ensures that the systemic interdependencies between regional infrastructure planning, public-private risk sharing, and firm-level decarbonization strategies remain analytically transparent without relying on isolated sectoral proxies.