Abstract
Environmental problems are usually not tackled with path-departing policies but rather with incrementally adjusted or unchanged policies. One way to address incremental change is the policy feedback approach, which initially focussed on self-reinforcing feedback and path-dependency. Today, self-undermining feedback is also increasingly being studied, centring on agency and change. However, it is unclear precisely how actors use power in policy feedback processes. Therefore, this study applied a power perspective and the policy arrangement approach to a case study of the reorientation towards a circular economy in Dutch wastewater policy between 2008 and 2018, which resulted in incremental instead of fundamental policy change. Here it was observed that self-undermining feedback was generated from 2008 onwards but the balance quickly shifted back to self-reinforcing feedback, indicating that the analysed power struggles led to incremental change. These dynamics resemble a shift from the so-called paths and forks (i.e. fork in the road) towards the boomerang pattern (i.e. returning to its original position) of policy change. The patterns are explained by focussing on powerful actors that resist change through the use of incremental reforms, the ongoing struggles of these actors in facilitating self-reinforcing feedback and the role of interpretation in using feedback as a resource. Overall, this study provides a nuanced understanding of incremental change by directing attention to the power struggles of actors in policy feedback processes. For practitioners, the study emphasises the importance of power struggles in enabling a circular economy.
Highlights
In 2019, the European Commission published the Green Deal and articulated its intention to develop a low-carbon and circular economy for Europe by 2050
Four steps are taken: (1) we interpret the results using Weaver’s (2010) patterns of policy regime change and discuss powerful actors and the availability of incremental reforms; (2) we subsequently argue that feedback processes are not a given but require ongoing struggles of political actors; (3) we turn to the interpretation and use of feedback processes; and, (4) we provide lessons for practitioners
As environmental problems are usually not tackled with path-departing green policies but rather with incremental adjustments, this study attempted to explore incremental change by analysing the power struggles of actors in policy feedback processes
Summary
In 2019, the European Commission published the Green Deal and articulated its intention to develop a low-carbon and circular economy for Europe by 2050. According to the European Environment Agency, ‘Europe will not achieve its 2030 goals without urgent action during the 10 years to address the alarming rate of biodiversity loss, increasing impacts of climate change and the overconsumption of natural resources’ (EEA, 2019b). One way to address this question is the policy feedback approach It is concerned with the understanding of stability and change by inquiring how established policies influence politics and how the politics subsequently shape policies. This approach is typically used to emphasise path-dependency and self-reinforcing feedback (or positive feedback) (Pierson, 1993). Recent studies have focussed on self-undermining feedback (or negative feedback) that may result in policy change and, inquired how actors influence policy feedback processes (Béland & Schlager, 2019; Sewerin et al, 2020)
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