Interviews With Observers of and Participants in Dutch and UK Heat Transition Governance, 2021-2022

Description:

Going Dutch? was a 2-year research project, led from the University of Sussex and funded by the UK Energy Research Centre, comparing governance arrangements for heat decarbonisation and natural gas phase-out in the UK and the Netherlands and investigating how these arrangements have been shaped by different political and institutional context. The UK and the Netherlands share a similar starting point for heat decarbonisation in that they are the countries most dependent on natural gas for heating in Europe and the OECD. However, they have taken different approaches to their heat transitions so far, with the Netherlands giving a much more central role to local government (municipalities). There are also differences within the UK, with Scotland adopting a governance approach that is closer to the Netherlands than England, where heat transition governance remains highly centralised. The project aimed to understand how wider political, administrative and economic institutions have shaped these different governance approaches, what the experience of the Dutch approach has been to date, and what lessons there might be for the UK. The topics of study included: the nature of climate governance; the roles and capacities of local government; the structure of multi-level governance; mechanisms for knowledge-sharing and learning; allocation of resources; organisation of technical support and knowledge, and public engagement and participation. The collection includes anonymised interviews with 16 observers of and participants in attempts to decarbonise residential heating in the Netherlands and the UK. The interviews were conducted between December 2021 and September 2022, and the focus of the research was on the governance arrangements for heat decarbonisation.

Creator:

Lockwood, M. with contributor Devenish, A.

Publisher:

UKDS

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-856559