Intermediation Work for Localization: The Role of a Place‐Based and Multi‐Stakeholder Meta‐Organization

Localization is the process of adapting and developing international aid to suit local contexts. Thus, localization involves paying attention to the relations between organizations and local actors receiving development aid. One key question that has not, as yet, been satisfactorily answered is how to collectively organize localization to empower local actors. Through an in‐depth case study of an innovative development aid project in Senegal focusing on employment and skills ecosystems, this paper explores the impact of viewing localization as a meta‐organized process on discussions about localization going forward. Our findings unpack the dynamics and processes of sustainable localization in development aid through a place‐based and multi‐stakeholder meta‐organization. We show that this process is supported by intermediation work , carried out by a group of actors acting as transition intermediaries, who support the emergence of a shared vision during a collective project and enable sustainable collaborative transition dynamics to be engaged. Our results also highlight that the intermediation work happens in three sequences: (1) emerging localization; (2) intermediated localization; and (3) transformative intermediated localization. We contribute to the literature by highlighting that intermediation work is made possible through a set of key functions played by the meta‐organization: (1) place direction‐setting; (2) capacity mobilization; and (3) ecosystem orchestration.