The Role of Public Participation in Energy Transitions

Chapter 3

Inclusive governance for energy policy making: conceptual foundations, applications, and lessons learned

Ortwin Renn and Pia-Johanna Schweizer,    Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Berliner Strasse, Potsdam, Germany

Abstract

The chapter addresses the subject energy policies involving decisions under uncertainty. It assumes that collectively binding decisions cannot be steered exclusively by governmental actors in the traditional top-down approach. Rather, political decisions need the input from various and heterogeneous actors, thus enabling button-up governance. The chapter emphasizes the need for a combination of assessment and dialogue, which the US-Academy of Sciences termed the “analytic–deliberative” approach. ...