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Governing renewables: Policy feedback in a global energy transition

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  • Jonas Meckling

Abstract

Complex global problems such as climate change have not been met with deep international cooperation but with complex systems of governance across multiple scales. This includes the global governance of renewable energy, the fastest growing source of electric power globally. How did the complex system of governance for renewable energy emerge, evolve, and institutionalize? This article posits that policy feedback on market actors helps to explain the evolution of renewable energy governance. The extent to which policy expands or limits market opportunities for firms shapes significantly the coalitions that emerge in support of new institutions, such as policies and organizations, in global renewable energy governance. This article examines the role of policy feedback for three major periods of renewable energy governance, focusing on a case for each period: (1) the emergence and expansion of domestic policy in Germany’s feed-in tariff, (2) international cooperation in the creation of the International Renewable Energy Agency, and (3) international competition in the European Union-China solar trade dispute. The findings contribute to our understanding of complex interdependence in a policy-driven global energy transition, complementing analyses of domestic energy transitions. They also suggest that policymakers can—to some extent—strategically leverage feedback dynamics to promote market transformations in the absence of comprehensive international cooperation.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonas Meckling, 2019. "Governing renewables: Policy feedback in a global energy transition," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 37(2), pages 317-338, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:37:y:2019:i:2:p:317-338
    DOI: 10.1177/2399654418777765
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    3. Brendan Moore & Andrew Jordan, 2020. "Disaggregating the dependent variable in policy feedback research: an analysis of the EU Emissions Trading System," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(2), pages 291-307, June.
    4. Roger Karapin, 2020. "Household Costs and Resistance to Germany's Energy Transition," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(3), pages 313-341, May.
    5. Sugandha Srivastav & Ryan Rafaty, 2023. "Political Strategies to Overcome Climate Policy Obstructionism," Papers 2304.14960, arXiv.org.
    6. Baumann, Manuel & Domnik, Tobias & Haase, Martina & Wulf, Christina & Emmerich, Philip & Rösch, Christine & Zapp, Petra & Naegler, Tobias & Weil, Marcel, 2021. "Comparative patent analysis for the identification of global research trends for the case of battery storage, hydrogen and bioenergy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    7. Srivastav, Sugandha & Rafaty, Ryan, 2021. "Five Worlds of Political Strategy in the Climate Movement," INET Oxford Working Papers 2021-07, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
    8. Geels, Frank W. & Ayoub, Martina, 2023. "A socio-technical transition perspective on positive tipping points in climate change mitigation: Analysing seven interacting feedback loops in offshore wind and electric vehicles acceleration," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    9. Eicke, Laima & Weko, Silvia, 2022. "Does green growth foster green policies? Value chain upgrading and feedback mechanisms on renewable energy policies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    10. Agnieszka Hajdukiewicz & Bożena Pera, 2020. "International Trade Disputes over Renewable Energy—the Case of the Solar Photovoltaic Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-23, January.
    11. Marek Szarucki & Radosław Rybkowski & Justyna Bugaj & Klaudia Bracio, 2022. "A Comprehensive Review of Research Approaches in the Energy Sector: A Management Sciences Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-21, November.

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