CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2011
| Author | Bejczy, Vencel Gábor |
|---|---|
| Title | Overcoming the Sociotechnical Barriers of Sustainable Renewable Energy Policies: Path Dependency and Technological Change |
| Summary | Facing climate change, depletion of non-renewable energy resources, energy security and energy independence, the current energy systems of most countries are unsustainable. However, the conventional, proven technologies of fossil fuels are so deeply embedded in contemporary societies that transitions to sustainable energy paths are very difficult, and juxtaposed in various complexities. ‘Lock-in’, and path dependency are phenomena that describe this situation well. Initiating change from all parts of society (including governments, civil society and business actors) by transitioning to a renewable energy future is challenging. This paper seeks to answer why this transition is so difficult by using the sociotechnical systems approach in energy policy. Therefore, selected number of countries chosen and examined in this paper by using the holistic socio-technical systems approach as an analytical tool, describing how Germany and Iceland managed to tackle the various economical, political and behavioral barriers. The main finding of this research is that in order to make steps towards ‘carbon lock-out’, all parts of society has to work together and interact effectively through complex institutional, political, economical and behavioral settings. |
| Supervisor | Goldthau, Andreas |
| Department | Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2011/bejczy_vencel.pdf |
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