Implementing wind power policy – Institutional frameworks and the beliefs of sovereigns

Abstract

As the development of renewable energy remains prominent on the global policy agenda, international organizations and states have created policies intended to foster renewable energy development. With wind power projected to make the largest contribution to Europe’s renewable energy mix, the EU and EU member-states have attempted to create institutional frameworks favoring the development of wind power. In many cases, however, this has proven to be a necessary, but insufficient, condition for wind power development, making wind power policy an interesting case of policy implementation. Because of the inherently local nature of wind power development, the influence of local actors and institutions on the policy process must also be considered. This article suggests how a proposed theoretical development in the Advocacy Coalition Framework can be used to explain how concerns exogenous to local policy subsystems can affect local political decision-making and policy implementation. This approach is then used to examine the case of wind power development in Markbygden, Sweden and finds partial support for the effect of exogenous concerns on local political decision-making.