1st Edition

Comparative Renewables Policy Political, Organizational and European Fields

    278 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    278 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Challenging one-eyed technology-focused accounts of renewables policy, this book provides a ground-breaking, deep-diving and genre-crossing longitudinal study of policy development.

    The book develops a multi-field explanatory approach, capturing inter-relationships between actors often analyzed in isolation. It provides empirically rich and systematically conducted comparative case studies on the political dynamics of the ongoing energy transition in six European countries. While France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom opted for ‘technology-specific’ renewables support mixes, Norway and Sweden embarked on ‘technology-neutral’ support mixes. Differences between the two groups result from variations in domestic political and organizational fields, but developments over time in the European environment also spurred variation. These findings challenge more simplistic and static accounts of Europeanization.

    This volume will be of key interest to scholars and students of energy transitions, comparative climate politics, policy theory, Europeanization, European integration and comparative European politics more broadly, as well practitioners with an interest in renewable energy and climate transition.

    The Open Access version of this book, available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429198144, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

    Part I: Setting the Stage

    1. Introduction

    Elin Lerum Boasson, Merethe Dotterud Leiren and Jørgen Wettestad

    2. Comparing renewable support mixes

    Elin Lerum Boasson and Merethe Dotterud Leiren

    3. A Dynamic Multi-field Approach

    Elin Lerum Boasson

    4. Europeanization of renewables support

    Elin Lerum Boasson

    Part II: Case Studies

    5. Germany: From feed-in tariffs to greater competition

    Merethe Dotterud Leiren and Inken Reimer

    6. The United Kingdom: From market-led policy towards technology steering

    Tim Rayner, Merethe Dotterud Leiren, and Tor Håkon Jackson Inderberg

    7. Poland: Incumbent stability amid legislative volatility

    Kacper Szulecki

    8. France: From renewables laggard to technology-specific devotee

    Elin Lerum Boasson, Catherine Banet and Jørgen Wettestad

    9. Sweden: Electricity-certificate champion

    Elin Lerum Boasson, Hugo Faber and Karin Bäckstrand

    10. Norway: Certificate supporters turning opponents

    Elin Lerum Boasson

    Part III: Assessments and Conclusions

    11. Comparative assessments and conclusions

    Elin Lerum Boasson, Merethe Dotterud Leiren and Jørgen Wettestad

    12. Implications for climate research and policy studies

    Elin Lerum Boasson

    Biography

    Elin Lerum Boasson is Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Oslo. She is also Senior Researcher at CICERO – Centre for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway.

    Merethe Dotterud Leiren is Research Director and Political Scientist at CICERO – Centre for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway.

    Jørgen Wettestad is Research Professor at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Oslo, Norway.