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Power failures: metagoverning a revival of nuclear power in Britain

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  • Keith Baker

Abstract

The British Government is attempting, through metagovernance, to encourage a transition to a low carbon electricity generation industry by promoting a revival of nuclear power. This paper considers the barriers that the British Government might encounter by analysing its metagovernance efforts within the context of a dynamic, co-evolving socio-technical regime. It is shown that the British Government's attempts to metagovern a transition to nuclear power are likely to fail. This is because the British Government has failed to secure the support of a number of important stakeholders, is pursuing an unrealistic policy, is subject to critical dependencies, and cannot easily exercise authority over a complex network. The paper concludes by arguing that these failures are due to the British Government's inability to understand the process by which transitions occur.

Suggested Citation

  • Keith Baker, 2012. "Power failures: metagoverning a revival of nuclear power in Britain," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 15(1/2), pages 107-124.
  • Handle: RePEc:ids:ijsusd:v:15:y:2012:i:1/2:p:107-124
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Smith, Adrian & Stirling, Andy & Berkhout, Frans, 2005. "The governance of sustainable socio-technical transitions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 1491-1510, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Menno Ottens & Jurian Edelenbos, 2018. "Political Leadership as Meta-Governance in Sustainability Transitions: A Case Study Analysis of Meta-Governance in the Case of the Dutch National Agreement on Climate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-23, December.

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