Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T04:32:23.871Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Policy convergence as a multifaceted concept: the case of renewable energy policies in the European Union

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2017

Sebastian Strunz ,
Erik Gawel ,
Paul Lehmann  and
Patrik Söderholm
Sebastian Strunz
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Helmholtz Centre für Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany E-mail: sebastian.strunz@ufz.de
Erik Gawel
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Helmholtz Centre für Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany E-mail: sebastian.strunz@ufz.de Institute for Infrastructure and Resources Management, Leipzig University, Germany E-mail: erik.gawel@ufz.de
Paul Lehmann
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Helmholtz Centre für Environmental Research - UFZ, Germany E-mail: paul.lehmann@ufz.de
Patrik Söderholm
Affiliation:
Economics Unit, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden E-mail: Patrik.Soderholm@ltu.se
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The literature on policy convergence has identified numerous facets and causal drivers of convergence. Distinguishing four dimensions of convergence (object, benchmark, drivers and directed process) helps clarify why and in what form policy convergence may occur (or not). Thus, depending on, for example, the object of analysis (policy outcome or instruments used), the same empirical case may give rise to opposing assessments. Furthermore, both economic and political drivers are necessary to account for successful policy convergence: economic convergence partly explains why countries may face similar problems, and political mechanisms explain why they might choose similar policies to solve a given problem. This article illustrates the multifaceted character of convergence for the dynamic field of renewable energy policies in the European Union. The empirical results indicate temporary convergence in the case of policy support instrument choices and conditional convergence in terms of renewable shares. However, the results suggest divergence of public R&D subsidies targeting renewables.

Keywords

economic convergencepolicy convergencepublic R&D subsidiesrenewable energy sourcessupport instruments
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Public Policy , Volume 38 , Issue 3 , September 2018 , pp. 361 - 387
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press, 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ania, A. and Wagener, A. (2014) Laboratory Federalism: The Open Method Of Coordination (OMC) as an Evolutionary Learning Process. Journal of Public Economic Theory 16(5): 767–795.Google Scholar
Bajona, C. and Kehoe, T. J. (2010) Trade, Growth and Convergence in a Dynamic Heckscher-Ohlin Model. Review of Economic Dynamics 13(3): 487–513.Google Scholar
Baumol, W. J. (1986) Productivity Growth, Convergence and Welfare. American Economic Review 76(5): 1072–1085.Google Scholar
Bennett, C. J. (1991) What is Policy Convergence and What Causes it? British Journal of Political Science 21(2): 215–233.Google Scholar
Borrás, S. and Jacobsson, K. (2004) The Open Method of Coordination and New Governance Patterns in the EU. Journal of European Public Policy 11: 185–208.Google Scholar
Borsi, T. M. and Metiu, N. (2015) The Evolution of Economic Convergence in the European Union. Empirical Economics 48(2): 657–681.Google Scholar
Brock, W. A. and Taylor, M. S. (2010) The Green Solow Model. Journal of Economic Growth 15(2): 127–153.Google Scholar
Busch, P.-O. and Jörgens, H. (2005) The International Sources of Policy Convergence: Explaining the Spread of Environmental Innovations. Journal of European Public Policy 12(5): 860–884.Google Scholar
Callies, C. and Hey, C. (2013) Multilevel Energy Policy in the EU: Paving the Way for Renewables? Journal for European Environmental and Planning Law 10(2): 87–131.Google Scholar
Camarero, M., Castillo, J., Picazo-Tadeo, A. J. and Tamarit, C. (2013) Eco-Efficiency and Convergence in OECD Countries. Environmental and Resource Economics 55: 87–106.Google Scholar
Carley, S., Nicholson-Crotty, S. and Miller, C. J. (2016) Adoption, Reinvention and Amendment of Renewable Portfolio Standards in the American States. Journal of Public Policy. doi: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1017/S0143814X15000379 Google Scholar
Ćetković, S. and Buzogány, A. (2016) Varieties of Capitalism and Clean Energy Transitions in the European Union: When Renewable Energy Hits Different Economic Logics. Climate Policy 16(5): 642–657.Google Scholar
Drezner, D. W. (2001) Globalization and Policy Convergence. International Studies Review 3(1): 53–78.Google Scholar
Edenhofer, O., Hirth, L., Knopf, B., Pahle, M., Schmid, E. and Ueckerdt, F. (2013) On the Economics of Renewable Energy Sources. Energy Economics 40: 12–23.Google Scholar
Ek, K. and Söderholm, P. (2010) Technology Learning in the Presence of Public R&D: The Case of European Wind Power. Ecological Economics 69: 2356–2362.Google Scholar
European Union (EU) (2012) Consolidated Version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Official Journal of the European Union C 326: 47–390.Google Scholar
Fernández, S. A. (1994) Convergence in Environmental Policy? The Resilience of National Institutional Designs in Spain and Germany. Journal of Public Policy 14(1): 39–56.Google Scholar
Fingleton, B., Garretsen, H. and Martin, R. (2015) Shocking Aspects of Monetary Union: The Vulnerability of Regions in Euroland. Journal of Economic Geography 15(5): 843–853.Google Scholar
Gawel, E., Strunz, S. and Lehmann, P. (2014) To What Extent Should the German Energy Transition Policy be “Europeanized”? Zeitschrift für Energiewirtschaft 38: 163–182.Google Scholar
Gawel, E., Strunz, S. and Lehmann, P. (2017) Support Policies for Renewables – Instrument Choice and Instrument Change From a Public Choice Perspective. In Arent D., Arndt C., Miller M., Tarp F. and Zinaman O. (eds.), The Political Economy of Clean Energy Transitions. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 80–99.Google Scholar
Grafström, J., Söderholm, P., Lehmann, P., Strunz, S. and Gawel, E. (2017) Divergence of Renewable Public R&D Support: The Case of the European Union. Leipzig, Germany: Mimeo, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ.Google Scholar
Griliches, Z. (1995) R&D and Productivity: Econometric Results and Measurement Issues. In Stoneman P. (ed.), Handbook of Economics on Innovation and Technological Change. Oxford: Blackwell, Oxford, 52–89.Google Scholar
Grossman, G. M. and Krueger, A. B. (1995) Economic Growth and the Environment. Quarterly Journal of Economics 110: 353–377.Google Scholar
Hall, P. and Soskice, D. (eds.) (2001) Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundation of Comparative Advantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Hayward, J. and Wurzel, R. (eds.) (2012) European Disunion. Between Sovereignty and Solidarity. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Heichel, S., Pape, J. and Sommerer, T. (2005) Is There Convergence in Convergence Research? An Overview of Empirical Studies on Policy Convergence. Journal of European Public Policy 12(5): 817–840.Google Scholar
Holzinger, K. and Knill, C. (2005) Causes and Conditions of Cross-National Policy Convergence. Journal of European Public Policy 12(5): 775–796.Google Scholar
Holzinger, K., Knill, C. and Arts, B. (eds.) (2008a) Environmental Policy Convergence in Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Holzinger, K., Jörgens, H. and Knill, C. (2008b) State of the Art – Conceptualising Environmental Policy Convergence. In Holzinger K., Knill C. and Arts B. (eds.), Environmental Policy Convergence in Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 7–29.Google Scholar
Howlett, M. (2000) Beyond Legalism? Policy Ideas, Implementation Styles and Emulation-Based Convergence in Canadian and U.S. Environmental Policy. Journal of Public Policy 20(3): 305–329.Google Scholar
International Energy Agency (2015a) Medium Term Renewable Energy Market Report 2015. IEA, Paris, http://www.iea.org/Textbase/npsum/MTrenew2015sum.pdf (accessed 7 November 2016).Google Scholar
International Energy Agency (2015b) IEA Energy Technology RD&D Statistics. Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
Islam, N. (2003) What Have we Learned From the Convergence Debate. Journal of Economic Surveys 17(3): 309–362.Google Scholar
Jacobs, D. (2012) Renewable Energy Policy Convergence in the EU: The Evolution of Feed-in Tariffs in Germany, Spain and France. London: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Johnstone, N., Haščič, I. and Popp, D. (2010) Renewable Energy Policy and Technological Innovation: Evidence Based on Patent Counts. Environmental and Resource Economics 45(1): 133–155.Google Scholar
Keohane, N., Revesz, R. and Stavins, R. (1998) The Choice of Regulatory Instruments in Environmental Policy. Harvard Environmental Law Review 22: 313–367.Google Scholar
Kern, F. (2011) Ideas, Institutions, and Interests: Explaining Policy Divergence in Fostering “System Innovations” Towards Sustainability. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 29: 1116–1134.Google Scholar
Kerr, C. (1983) The Future of Industrial Societies: Convergence or Continuing Diversity?. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Klinge Jacobsen, H., Pade, L. L., Schröder, S. T. and Kitzing, L. (2014) Cooperation Mechanisms to Achieve EU Renewable Targets. Renewable Energy 63: 345–352.Google Scholar
Kitzing, L., Mitchell, C. and Mothorst, P. E. (2012) Renewable Energy Policies in Europe: Converging or Diverging? Energy Policy 51: 192–201.Google Scholar
Knill, C., Sommerer, T. and Holzinger, K. (2008) Degree and Direction of Environmental Policy Convergence: Analysis of Aggregate Data. In Holzinger K., Knill C. and Arts B. (eds.), Environmental Policy Convergence in Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 98–143.Google Scholar
Kopp, O., Eßer-Frey, A. and Engelhorn, T. (2012) Können sich erneuerbare Energien langfristig auf wettbewerblich organisierten Strommärkten finanzieren? Zeitschrift für Energiewirtschaft 36(4): 1–13.Google Scholar
Laird, F. N. and Stefes, C. (2009) The Diverging Paths of German and United States Policies for Renewable Energy: Sources of Difference. Energy Policy 37(7): 2619–2629.Google Scholar
Leruth, B. and Lord, C. (2015) Differentiated Integration in the European Union: A Concept, a System or a Theory? Journal of European Public Policy 22(6): 754–763.Google Scholar
Maggetti, M. and Gilardi, F. (2016) Problems (and solutions) in the Measurement of Policy Diffusion Mechanisms. Journal of Public Policy 36(1): 87–107.Google Scholar
Miller, M., Bird, L., Cochran, J., Milligan, M., Bazilian, M, Denny, E., Dillons, J., Bialek, M., O'Malley, M. and Neuhoff, K. (2013) RES-E-Next: Next Generation of RES-E Policy Instruments. Study Commissioned by IEA-RETD, 4 July, http://iea-retd.org/archives/publications/res-e-next (accessed 7 November 2016).Google Scholar
Mundell, R. A. (1961) A Theory of Optimum Currency Areas. American Economic Review 51(4): 657–665.Google Scholar
North, D. C. (1990) Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Oates, W. E. (1972) Fiscal Federalism. New York: Harcourt Brace Javanovich.Google Scholar
Oates, W. E. (1999) An Essay on Fiscal Federalism. Journal of Economic Literature 37: 1120–1149.Google Scholar
Ohlin, B. (1933) Interregional and International Trade. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Overbye, E. (1994) Convergence in Policy Outcomes: Social Security Systems in Perspective. Journal of Public Policy 14(2): 147–174.Google Scholar
Pettersson, F., Maddison, D., Acar, S. and Söderholm, P. (2014) Convergence of Carbon Dioxide Emissions: A Review of the Literature. International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics 7: 141–178.Google Scholar
Plümper, T. and Schneider, C. J. (2009) The Analysis of Policy Convergence, or: How to Chase a Black Cat in a Dark Room. Journal of European Public Policy 16(7): 990–1011.Google Scholar
Pierre, J. (2015) Varieties of Capitalism and Varieties of Globalization: Comparing Patterns of Market Deregulation. Journal of European Public Policy 22(7): 908–926.Google Scholar
Pitlik, H. (2007) A Race to Liberalization? Diffusion of Economic Policy Reform Among OECD-Economies. Public Choice 132: 159–178.Google Scholar
Rodriguez, F. and Rodrik, D. (2001) Trade Policy and Economic Growth: A Skeptic’s Guide to the Cross-National Evidence. In Bernanke B. and Rogoff K. (eds.), NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2000. Volume 15, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 261–338.Google Scholar
Samuelson, P. A. (1948) International Trade and the Equalisation of Factor Prices. Economic Journal 58(230): 163–184.Google Scholar
Söderholm, P. (2008a) Harmonization of Renewable Electricity Feed-In Laws: A Comment. Energy Policy 36: 946–953.Google Scholar
Söderholm, P. (2008b) The Political Economy of International Green Certificate Markets. Energy Policy 36: 2051–2062.Google Scholar
Solow, R. (1956) A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth. Quarterly Journal of Economics 70(1): 65–94.Google Scholar
Streeck, W. and Elsässer, L. (2016) Monetary Disunion: The Domestic Politics of Euroland. Journal of European Public Policy 23(1): 1–24.Google Scholar
Strunz, S., Gawel, E. and Lehmann, P. (2014) On the Alleged Need to Strictly “Europeanize” the German Energiewende. Intereconomics 49(5): 244–250.Google Scholar
Strunz, S., Gawel, E. and Lehmann, P. (2015) Towards a General “Europeanization” of EU Member States’ Energy Policies? Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy 2(4): 143–159.Google Scholar
Tagliapietra, S. (2014) Building Tomorrow’s Europe. The Role of an “EU Energy Union” (November 13). Review of Environment, Energy and Economics (Re3), http://dx.doi.org/10.7711/feemre3.2014.11.002 Google Scholar
Tews, K. (2005) The Diffusion of Environmental Policy Innovations: Cornerstones of an Analytical Framework. European Environment 15: 63–79.Google Scholar
Tews, K. (2015) Europeanization of Energy and Climate Policy: The Struggle Between Competing Ideas of Coordinating Energy Transitions. Journal of Environment & Development 24(3): 267–291.Google Scholar
Teyssen, J. (2013) Stop Unilateralism. The German Energiewende Needs a European Context. Energlobe, 13 May, http://energlobe.eu/economy/stop-unilaterism Google Scholar
The Economist (2014) The Headwinds Return, http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21616891-ten-years-ago-developing-economies-were-catching-up-developed-ones-remarkably-quickly-it (accessed 7 November 2016).Google Scholar
Ther, P. (2014) Die neue Ordnung auf dem alten Kontinent. Eine Geschichte des neoliberalen Europa. Berlin: Suhrkamp.Google Scholar
Unteutsch, M. and Lindenberger, D. (2014) Promotion of Electricity From Renewable Energy in Europe Post 2020 – The Economic Benefits of Cooperation. Zeitschrift für Energiewirtschaft 38(1): 47–64.Google Scholar
Vasseur, M. (2014) Convergence and Divergence in Renewable Energy Policy Among US States From 1998 to 2011. Social Forces 92(4): 1637–1657.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Strunz supplementary material

Strunz supplementary material 1

Download Strunz supplementary material(File)
File 194 Bytes
Supplementary material: File

Strunz supplementary material

Strunz supplementary material 2

Download Strunz supplementary material(File)
File 39.4 KB
Supplementary material: File

Strunz supplementary material

Strunz supplementary material 3

Download Strunz supplementary material(File)
File 39.9 KB
Supplementary material: File

Strunz supplementary material

Strunz supplementary material 4

Download Strunz supplementary material(File)
File 12.8 KB