Project 11: Institutionalization and long-term Governance of energy transition
Regarding the timescale, the energy transition needs to be understood as a long-term project that will persist the span of more than one generation. But biological generations outlast consecutive governments and the cohort of present representatives. These political actors face the challenge of managing and legislating the transformation of our energy system in the present circumstances of superior political objectives, the experience of scarcity, and the compulsions of everyday politics while, at the same time, incorporating the necessary adaption policies into the existing systems of control and state subsidies due to already made experiences. It is important not to lose sight of the key objective of the energy transition, even in critical phases (e.g. increase in costs). Governance needs to be balanced in a fashion that allows for learning and continuity and according to the criterion of sustainability. A democracy that is characterized by the pressure of the media and the rhythm of elections along with the consequential power shifts possess a demanding environment for these goals. How can politics ensure a certain continuity without neglecting the ability of being adaptable? To answer this question means to look at a number of political systems along with their different structures of management and control and their various problems regarding energy policy in a comparative perspective and to analyse how they ensure the long-term character of their political decisions. Most important is the exploration of how concepts of reality and ways in which people take action are secured in the long term, i.e. how social orders that are regarded as a matter of course are stabilized, institutionalized and, if necessary, adjusted.
Doctoral Candidate: Nick Pruditsch
First (Main-) Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Werner J. Patzel
Second Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dominik Möst