Democracy and Transitions: European Experiences of Policy Inclusiveness and Changes in the Electricity Industry

Ratinen and Lund analyse the political and economic actors behind sociotechnical transitions in the electricity industry. Focusing on seldom-analysed dimensions of transitions, democracy, and inclusion, the chapter presents a typology for analysing the policy inclusiveness on transitions. In a case study, Ratinen and Lund compare governing traditions and the inclusion of the public and large firms in Denmark, Germany, Finland, and Spain. The inclusion of the public in Denmark and Germany is the highest, and in Spain and Finland the lowest. The same countries have the most and the least renewable and consumer-owned generation. Ratinen and Lund conclude that inclusiveness increases democracy in policy processes and outcomes that seems to result in more extensive transitions than if policy inclusiveness is low.