In this chapter I argue that the sustainability of green transformations depends
heavily on the political effects of policies aimed at bringing about transformation. These
effects in turn either strengthen or weaken support for such policies, causing positive or negative feedback effects and divergent policy paths. In the political science
literature such knock-on effects are known as ‘policy feedback’. My focus here is
on public policy-making, since this will inevitably be needed for large-scale trans -
formations of economies, but I would argue that the same set of issues also apply
to campaigns and other actions by social movements or civil society organiza tions.
Unless they create some form of positive feedback through their actions or ideas,
such movements and organizations will not be able to lead significant trans form -
ations. Especially for transformations relating to global sustainability problems
(including most ‘planetary boundaries’), this dynamic is crucial, since such problems
in themselves are not seen by the majority of people as sufficiently urgent to prioritize
action, or pose severe collective action challenges that block change.
The political effects of policies depend in part on how policies are designed.
However, both policy design and their political consequences will also be affected
by the nature of underlying institutions and dominant ideas, which vary between coun -
tries (Morgan et al., 2010). The factors of policy feedback and underlying institutions
are likely to play a major role in shaping the speed and likely success or failure of
transformations, since they help determine the political dynamics of transformation.
They also point to the possibility of trying to accelerate transformations.
Below, I explore these issues through a number of comparative examples, a
particularly useful approach, since it allows the examination of divergent pathways.
In the following section, I focus on renewable energy policy, so it is useful first
to briefly consider the political forces and relationships at work in the energy sector.
I then examine the concept of policy feedback and how it can be a useful analytical
tool for understanding the dynamics of renewable energy policy in Germany, the
UK, India and China. The role of institutional context is then discussed and the
case studies revisited. The chapter concludes with some reflections on the approach,
its relation to the issue of social justice, and implications for accelerating green
transformations.
The politics of energy
In modern energy sectors there are broadly three groups of actors that are important
for political dynamics: energy providers, policy-makers and users of energy (e.g. Scarse
and Smith, 2009, p710). The relationships between these groups of actors ultimately
determine investment, technological change and outcomes such as greenhouse gas
emissions, all of which will have further feedback effects on actors (Figure 6.1).
Energy providers can in principle be of any size, from individuals to multi -
national corporations, and privately or state owned, although in most contexts
the politically important incumbent actors are large companies. Their investment
decisions, especially for new technologies, will be shaped heavily by incentives,
risks and regulations set by policy-makers. Once made, these decisions create vested
Political dynamics of green transformations 87
heavily on the political effects of policies aimed at bringing about transformation. These
effects in turn either strengthen or weaken support for such policies, causing positive or negative feedback effects and divergent policy paths. In the political science
literature such knock-on effects are known as ‘policy feedback’. My focus here is
on public policy-making, since this will inevitably be needed for large-scale trans -
formations of economies, but I would argue that the same set of issues also apply
to campaigns and other actions by social movements or civil society organiza tions.
Unless they create some form of positive feedback through their actions or ideas,
such movements and organizations will not be able to lead significant trans form -
ations. Especially for transformations relating to global sustainability problems
(including most ‘planetary boundaries’), this dynamic is crucial, since such problems
in themselves are not seen by the majority of people as sufficiently urgent to prioritize
action, or pose severe collective action challenges that block change.
The political effects of policies depend in part on how policies are designed.
However, both policy design and their political consequences will also be affected
by the nature of underlying institutions and dominant ideas, which vary between coun -
tries (Morgan et al., 2010). The factors of policy feedback and underlying institutions
are likely to play a major role in shaping the speed and likely success or failure of
transformations, since they help determine the political dynamics of transformation.
They also point to the possibility of trying to accelerate transformations.
Below, I explore these issues through a number of comparative examples, a
particularly useful approach, since it allows the examination of divergent pathways.
In the following section, I focus on renewable energy policy, so it is useful first
to briefly consider the political forces and relationships at work in the energy sector.
I then examine the concept of policy feedback and how it can be a useful analytical
tool for understanding the dynamics of renewable energy policy in Germany, the
UK, India and China. The role of institutional context is then discussed and the
case studies revisited. The chapter concludes with some reflections on the approach,
its relation to the issue of social justice, and implications for accelerating green
transformations.
The politics of energy
In modern energy sectors there are broadly three groups of actors that are important
for political dynamics: energy providers, policy-makers and users of energy (e.g. Scarse
and Smith, 2009, p710). The relationships between these groups of actors ultimately
determine investment, technological change and outcomes such as greenhouse gas
emissions, all of which will have further feedback effects on actors (Figure 6.1).
Energy providers can in principle be of any size, from individuals to multi -
national corporations, and privately or state owned, although in most contexts
the politically important incumbent actors are large companies. Their investment
decisions, especially for new technologies, will be shaped heavily by incentives,
risks and regulations set by policy-makers. Once made, these decisions create vested
Political dynamics of green transformations 87