Spatial Transfer of Energy Policy Frameworks

in sub-Sahara Africa for scale up of

Renewable Energy– Policy Learning, Divergence or Convergence

ABS Research Student SymposiumSeptember 2016

Presented by Jeuel JohnPhD Scholar

Outline

Background

Methodology

Limitations

Purpose

Findings

Originality

Implications Questions

Energy Policy Features

Security of Access.Meet Domestic Demand

ECONOMY

Energy Policy

Drivers

Background

Background

Scale up Energy

Capacity

Policy Reforms

DecrepitudeResource

AvailabilityPolitical

Trajectory

Background

26 European Countries

(Germany, Denmark, Spain)

28 developing countries

(Tanzania, Ecuador,

Bangladesh)

Many High &

Low Income

Countries

(Finland,

Ghana)

USA

UK

Italy

Japan

Kyrgyzstan

Chile

South

Korea

Poland

Greece

Ireland

China

India

Lithuania

Argentina

Brazil

Chile

Thailand

Feed-in Tariff

Quota

MechanismAuction

System

TGC/REC Market

Rationale

Existing literature on RE policy contains a marginal account of policy transfer and lacks any

focused reference to the conditions under which one country’s

successful policy might be more or less successfully transferable in

another.

“one size will not fit all”

Szarka et al. (2012, p.236)

This empirical gulf underlines the need to investigate how

transferable lessons have been identified and transferred to found enabling policy framework in these

jurisdictions.

Research Questions

ConceptsThe conditions under

which RE policy ideas

travel and institutional

replication occur across

political jurisdictions.

Process

TransferabilityThe conditions under

which one country’s

successful policy might

be more or less

transferable or

successful in another.

StructureIdentify the causal

mechanisms that lead

to the replication of

policy outcomes.

Conditions Lessons

Objectives

Develop an interdisciplinary

evaluation framework to test and potentially

broaden the perspective of policy

transfer and then enhance this

framework using historical

institutionalism

Establish how policy transfer and institutional

replication occur across political

jurisdictions in the RE domain focusing on

selected cases;

Undertake a cross jurisdictional

framework analysis of lesson-drawing and policy transfer in the

RE domain to establish which causal mechanisms lead to

the replication of policy outcomes;

Design Methodology and Approach

Policy TransferThe process, conditions and route that

policy ideas or institutional structures

travel across political jurisdictions to

replicate similar successes in another

political-policy arena

Comparative MethodsPhilosophically, this research relies on an

epistemology that straddles interpretivists

notions and historical institutionalism

ontology steered by comparative

methods

Lessons-DrawingEmpirically, policymakers become

discontent with the status quo in the

policy environment and engage in a

search for new ideologies to articulate

a response to a perceived problem

Historical InstitutionalismTheoretically, institutions and policies

reflect a country’s past and initial policy

choice triggers organisations and policies

that link or propose future choice

– “the notion of path dependency”.

Historical Institutionalism

Evaluation Design and Approach

Dependent Variable

Why actors

engage in policy

transfer

ideological

political

economic

social etc.

Policy outcomesPolicy Transfer

Independent Variable

Source: adapted from Dolowitz (1998, p.176; 2000)

Policy Transfer uncoupled

Dissatisfaction

Understanding the

Source Policy

Context

Transferable

Lessons

Understanding the

Recipient Policy

Context

Contextual differentiation in Historical, Cultural, Institutional,

Political, Environmental, National and Regional Conditions

Four components of Lessons-Drawing

Source: based on author evaluation Rose 1993, 2005

Findings

Policy

Environment is a

Disputed Sphere

Emerging

Political Stability

Shifting

Governance

Regimes

Policy Transfer

Requires

Structured

Institutions

Policies Must Be

Tailored to Local

Context

Unique Design

Features Making

Policy More

Attractive

Governance

barriers hinder

transformation

Scope and Limitations

Contribution

Originality

Inter-disciplinary Explanatory Framework to

account for cross-jurisdictional policy transfer

Sphere of Research that Remains Inadequately

Theorised

First Account Of Policy Transfer and Institutional Transplantation within the Global RE Policy Domain

Conclusion and Significance

Sig

nif

ican

ce This multilevel explanatory

framework for cross-jurisdictional policy transfer will be useful to the wider public policy domain as a means of optimising our understanding of the evolution, architecture and policy deployment strategies as well as a means of improving policy performance.

Co

nclu

sio

n Policymakers from the

most influential institutions at the centre of policy transfer, lessons-drawing and institutional replication, need support and empowerment to successfully navigate the energy governance neighbourhood.

+447405849511

n.ituh@rgu.ac.uk

@energypolicylab

#energypolicylab

Jeuel John

drjeuel

www.nsikakituh.com

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