Understanding Policy Reversals and Policy Stability

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Path Dependence ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Nuclear Accidents ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Nuclear Energy Policy ◽  
Change Concerns

This chapter discusses structural, institutional, and situational factors that exercise influence on nuclear energy policy decisions. It reviews the respective literatures and introduces the dependent variable, i.e. nuclear energy policy reversals. Building in particular on the work of Kitschelt (1986) and Midttun and Rucht (1994), the chapter then discusses the explanatory variables that potentially drive such changes: anti-nuclear movements, public opinion, the systems’ electoral and federal openness, political parties’ vote-seeking, principled ideological goals, or office-seeking, new policy challenges in terms of energy policy and climate change concerns, nuclear accidents, and path dependence due to the countries investment in nuclear energy. Hypotheses are formulated for how these factors impact nuclear energy policy-making.

Conclusion

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Schulze
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
European Countries ◽  
General Level ◽  
The World ◽  
Nuclear Energy Policy

This chapter first evaluates the hypotheses presented in Chapter 2, drawing on the book’s seven country case studies. Second, it extends the scope of analysis to all of Western Europe, with short analytical narratives of the nuclear energy trajectory in the remaining West European countries in an appendix. The chapter distinguishes four groups of countries in terms of nuclear energy policy reversals and discusses the commonalities and differences between them. Third, the chapter turns to quantitative analysis. On the most general level the analyses in this book demonstrate that nuclear energy policy has become incorporated in the competition between the mainstream parties that have proved remarkably flexible in adapting their positions and policy-making if government office was at stake. The chapter highlights the factors that will be important for the future of nuclear energy in Western Europe and the world.

scholarly journals Policy beyond politics? Public opinion, party politics and the French pro-nuclear energy policy

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Brouard ◽  
Isabelle Guinaudeau
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Interest Groups ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Path Dependence ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Policy Choices ◽  
The Media ◽  
Nuclear Energy Policy

AbstractAt first sight, French nuclear energy policy offers a textbook example of how technical, constitutional and economic restrictions, powerful interest groups and path dependence constrain democratic responsiveness. This paper uses what might seem to be an unlikely case in order to question explanations of policy choices in terms of technocracy, path dependence and interest groups against the background of an under-estimated factor: party and coalition strategies. The original data collected on public attitudes towards nuclear energy and the attention dedicated to this issue in the media, as well as in the parliamentary and electoral arenas, show that the effect of public opinion is conditioned by party incentives to politicise the issue at stake. In other words, parties and coalition-making constraints act as a mediating variable between citizens’ preferences and policy choices. These findings point to the need to integrate this conditional variable into analyses of responsiveness and models of policymaking.

Why Italian Nuclear Energy Policy Failed Twice

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Franchino
Keyword(s):  
Energy Policy ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
Coalition Politics ◽  
History Of ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
Nuclear Energy Policy ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Fukushima Disaster

The history of nuclear energy policy in Italy is characterized by major shifts. After being a world leader in nuclear energy production in the 1960s, the country stopped its programme in the 1980s. An attempt at rejuvenating and expanding nuclear energy in the early 2000s came to an end after the Fukushima disaster. In both instances a referendum was held. Party competition, coalition politics, changes in government, and Italy’s institutional features, in particular the provisions for holding referendums, are the main factors explaining these policy reversals. The chapter concludes that a relaunch of the nuclear energy programme does not seem impossible, but is unlikely for the foreseeable future.

scholarly journals The Dynamics of Frame-bridging: Exploring the Nuclear Discourse in Scotland

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje Brown
Keyword(s):  
Energy Policy ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Story Telling ◽  
Policy Framing ◽  
Policy Frames ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Research Interviews ◽  
Nuclear Energy Policy ◽  
Scottish Independence ◽  
The Individual

Simple indicative factors such as political populism and resource abundance cannot fully explain the Scottish Government's anti-nuclear energy policy. To grasp the current policy stance, it is necessary to pay attention to the wider contextualisation of policy framing and specifically the dynamic of story-telling and frame-bridging that ultimately feeds into governmental policy. The Scottish Government's decisive ‘no’ to a new nuclear fleet can be better understood by considering the underlying (and deliberate) bridging of policy frames that is noticeable between environmental, pacifist, and Scottish independence actors. This bridging not only affects the individual sets of story-telling but also develops a dynamic that reinforces individual stories and transcends well beyond the groups' original remit and objectives. With the help of policy framing analysis, research interviews and documentary analysis, the article explores the dynamic connections between anti-nuclear and independence activists and their causes in Scotland. The article highlights their triangular bridges in terms of personnel, language and story-telling and argues that these are instrumental in shaping the Scottish Government's anti-nuclear energy policy.

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