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The Nordic welfare model providing energy transition? A political geography approach to the EU RES directive

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  • Westholm, Erik
  • Beland Lindahl, Karin

Abstract

The EU Renewable Energy Strategy (RES) Directive requires that each member state obtain 20% of its energy supply from renewable sources by 2020. If fully implemented, this implies major changes in institutions, infrastructure, land use, and natural resource flows. This study applies a political geography perspective to explore the transition to renewable energy use in the heating and cooling segment of the Swedish energy system, 1980–2010. The Nordic welfare model, which developed mainly after the Second World War, required relatively uniform, standardized local and regional authorities functioning as implementation agents for national politics. Since 1980, the welfare orientation has gradually been complemented by competition politics promoting technological change, innovation, and entrepreneurship. This combination of welfare state organization and competition politics provided the dynamics necessary for energy transition, which occurred in a semi-public sphere of actors at various geographical scales. However, our analysis, suggest that this was partly an unintended policy outcome, since it was based on a welfare model with no significant energy aims. Our case study suggests that state organization plays a significant role, and that the EU RES Directive implementation will be uneven across Europe, reflecting various welfare models with different institutional pre-requisites for energy transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Westholm, Erik & Beland Lindahl, Karin, 2012. "The Nordic welfare model providing energy transition? A political geography approach to the EU RES directive," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 328-335.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:50:y:2012:i:c:p:328-335
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.07.027
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Brenner, Neil, 2004. "New State Spaces: Urban Governance and the Rescaling of Statehood," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199270064.
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    3. Uba, Katrin, 2010. "Who formulates renewable-energy policy? A Swedish example," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 6674-6683, November.
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    1. Millot, Ariane & Krook-Riekkola, Anna & Maïzi, Nadia, 2020. "Guiding the future energy transition to net-zero emissions: Lessons from exploring the differences between France and Sweden," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    2. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Kester, Johannes & Noel, Lance & de Rubens, Gerardo Zarazua, 2019. "Energy Injustice and Nordic Electric Mobility: Inequality, Elitism, and Externalities in the Electrification of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Transport," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 205-217.
    3. Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2017. "Contestation, contingency, and justice in the Nordic low-carbon energy transition," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 569-582.
    4. Nilsson, Måns & Dzebo, Adis & Savvidou, Georgia & Axelsson, Katarina, 2020. "A bridging framework for studying transition pathways – From systems models to local action in the Swedish heating domain," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    5. Beland Lindahl, Karin & Sandström, Camilla & Sténs, Anna, 2017. "Alternative pathways to sustainability? Comparing forest governance models," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 69-78.
    6. García-García, Pablo & Buendía, Luis & Carpintero, Óscar, 2022. "Welfare regimes as enablers of just energy transitions: Revisiting and testing the hypothesis of synergy for Europe," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).

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