Governing Energy Transitions: Design and Evaluation of Policies and Practices

Abstract

Governments face an 'energy trilemma' following the confluence of economic, engineering and environmental constraints to traditional energy production and supply, urging them to shift from carbon to renewable resources. Governing this energy transition is not easy. Privatisation and liberalisation of the energy market and technological developments have stirred up existing roles, responsibilities and relationships, leading to an emerging patchwork of public and private actors, big and small, who together are responsible for our energy supply and use. Within this turmoil, governments at various levels develop policies aiming at increasing the share of renewables and/or to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels. These policies and practices have been analysed and evaluated from economic, technological and science and technology perspectives, but much less from theories of the policy process, ranging from agenda-setting to policy implementation. Such a policy-making perspective is all the more relevant since energy transitions involve a redistribution of roles and responsibilities of government tasks, between government layers but also between public and private organisations and between organisations and citizens, involving questions of democracy, legitimacy, and accountability. In this panel, we welcome papers that explicitly analyse and evaluate (by looking backward and/or forward) policies and practices aiming to contribute to the energy transition, which can range from carbon emission trading schemes to the set up of a local renewable energy company. The aim of the panel is to contribute to an evaluative framework for energy transition policies which builds on the rich theories of the policy process as developed within public administration and policy sciences. Theoretical papers addressing this issue are welcome, but we are especially interested in empirical studies. Single case studies are allowed, provided that they are put in an international context.

Title	Details
The EU Renewable Energy Policy and its Impact in Spain and the United Kingdom: An Atypical Kind of Europeanisation	View Paper Details
Energy Transition: Towards a New Forest Policy Regime?	View Paper Details
Retrofitting Block-by-Block: The Promises and Pitfalls of a Custom-Made Carbon Reduction Strategy	View Paper Details