Florian Kern

The rise of a transitions discourse in Dutch environmental policy is analysed. This new approach to environmental policy seeks radically more sustainable socio-technical systems. As such, its agenda constitutes the latest twist in attempts at ecological modernisation, aiming to decouple economic growth from harmful environmental degradation. The coalescence and influence of a transitions discourse coalition, which has helped shape national environmental policy planning in recent years, is contextualised ...

The rise of a transitions discourse in Dutch environmental policy is analysed. This new approach to environmental policy seeks radically more sustainable sociotechnical systems. As such, its agenda constitutes the latest twist in attempts at ecological modernisation, aiming to decouple economic growth from harmful environmental degradation. The coalescence and influence of a transitions discourse coalition, which has helped shape national environmental policy planning in recent years, is contextualised ...

ABSTRACT In the sustainability transitions literature the idea of ‘protective space’ shielding niche innovations from unfriendly selection environments is a fundamental concept. Few studies pause to consider how and by whom such protective space is created, maintained or expanded. The paper develops three propositions to deepen our understanding of the ‘outward-oriented socio-political work’ performed by technology advocates. The paper conducts a meta-analysis of six low-carbon technology case studies in the UK and The Netherlands. In each case, analysis finds the cases relevant to the propositions, but requiring finer nuance and further development.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is considered key to mitigating climate change by international institutions and governments around the world. The technology is considered advantageous because it may enable the continued utilization of fossil fuels while curbing carbon emissions. However, development of the technology remains slow on the ground. It is generally argued that large-scale, integrated demonstration projects are needed as a next step toward commercialization. Despite government support in several countries, few projects exist so far worldwide. This paper asks why it is so difficult to get demonstration projects off the ground. The argument is that it is not only project-specific factors that determine the feasibility of demonstration, but given the need for government support, a variety of political economy factors influence decision-making processes by policy makers and companies. The paper introduces an analytical framework developed on the basis of the political economy literature that considers six sets of factors that influence outcomes. It discusses two specific projects, Longannet in the UK and Quest in Canada, and explains why one failed and the other one is under construction. The analysis shows that although climate change has been a more important policy concern in the UK compared to Canada, the specific political economy situation of fossil fuel rich provinces like Alberta has led to the Quest project going forward.

This paper contributes to the literature on institutional change by creating a framework that both measures and explains policy change. The framework is then applied to UK energy policy from 2000 to 2012 and finds that a policy paradigm change has occurred. Contrary to expectations in the literature, however, the process of change has been informed by multiple narratives and the new governance system is complex and incoherent. The analysis also finds that there has been relatively little shift in how energy systems operate suggesting shortcomings in a conceptual focus on institutional change over outcomes.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is seen as a key technology to tackle climate change. The principal idea of CCS is to remove carbon from the flue gases arising from burning fuels for electricity generation or industrial applications and to store the carbon in geological formations to prevent it from entering the atmosphere. Policy makers in several countries are supportive of the technology, but a number of uncertainties hamper its further development and deployment. The paper makes three related contributions to the literatures on socio-technical systems and technology assessment: 1) It systematically develops an interdisciplinary framework to assess the main uncertainties of CCS innovation. These include technical, economic, financial, political and societal issues. 2) It identifies important linkages between these uncertainties. 3) It develops qualitative and quantitative indicators for assessing these uncertainties. This framework aims to help decision making on CCS by private and public actors and is designed to be applicable to a wider range of low carbon technologies. The paper is based on a systematic review of the social science literature on CCS and on insights from innovation studies, as well as on interviews about assessment of new technologies with experts from a range of organisations and sectors.

The contributors investigate policy paradigms and their ability to explain the policy process – actors, ideas, discourses and strategies employed – to provide readers with a better understanding of public policy and its dynamics. Drawing together leading researchers in the field, this edited collection offers a unique insight into a selection of policy paradigms, investigating their significance for public policy, policy making and policy change, in both theory and practice. The contributions open up new avenues of research on policy dynamics while re-evaluating the accuracy and effectiveness of existing policy orthodoxy.