Working Papers

The IGov research team are producing regular working papers on a wide range of issues relating to innovation and governance for the economy and energy system. We also expect to have contributions from other authors.

All working papers are peer reviewed.

  • Working Paper: Energy networks and distributed energy resources in Great Britain

    October 15, 2014

    Working Paper: Energy networks and distributed energy resources in Great Britain

    Energy networks and distributed energy resources in Great Britain By: Matthew Lockwood – Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter EPG Working Paper: 1406 Abstract: This paper examines the rules and incentives governing electricity, gas and heat networks in Great Britain from the perspective of how far these facilitate or prevent a shift towards an energy system with more ‘distributed energy resources’, including flexible demand, local electricity generation and heat production, and energy storage. Much of the analysis focuses on electricity distribution network, where the greatest need for innovation is expected to lie. Most of the relevant rules

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  • Working Paper: Depoliticisation, Institutions and Political Capacity

    April 23, 2014

    Working Paper: Depoliticisation, Institutions and Political Capacity

    Depoliticisation, Institutions and Political Capacity: Explaining Sedate Energy Transition in the UK By: Caroline Kuzemko – Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter EPG Working Paper: 1405 Abstract: Depoliticisation, as a concept, has been utilised to explain specific aspects of economic governance as it has developed over the past thirty years, particularly in certain OECD countries. This paper recognises depoliticisation as reducing the role of state government in certain issues areas, but emphasises a range of different forms that this can take as well as some political consequences of these decisions. Using UK energy governance as an example,

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  • Working Paper: EU Climate Benchmarking

    April 9, 2014

    Working Paper: EU Climate Benchmarking

    EU Climate Benchmarking: Qualifications, Compromises and Compliance in the UK and Germany By: Caroline Kuzemko – Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter EPG Working Paper: 1404 Abstract: Taking a constructivist IPE approach this paper peers beneath, at least rhetorically committed, discourses on climate change and mitigation in international organisations through an examination of EU climate benchmarking practices. It poses questions about motivations for climate benchmarking, methods used to construct benchmarks and about compliance at the national level in Germany and the UK. An examination of the motivations behind climate benchmarks points, predictably, to the commitment to keeping

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  • Working Paper: The political dynamics of green transformations

    April 1, 2014

    Working Paper: The political dynamics of green transformations

    The political dynamics of green transformations: The roles of policy feedback and institutional context By: Matthew Lockwood – Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter EPG Working Paper: 1403 Abstract: Green transformations, including in energy policy, are likely to take several decades and so need to be sustained politically over long periods of time. A key factor in whether this happens or not is the political impact of policies, i.e. ‘policy feedback’, which is likely to depend partly on the design of policies. Policy design itself will be heavily influenced by prevailing policy paradigms, and the articulation between

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  • Working Paper: Change and Inertia in the UK Energy System

    March 17, 2014

    Working Paper: Change and Inertia in the UK Energy System

    Change and Inertia in the UK Energy System – getting our institutions and governance right By: Catherine Mitchell – Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter EPG Working Paper: 1402 Abstract: The Innovation and Governance for a Sustainable Economy (IGov) website introduces the ideas behind IGov. This WP expands on this to explain what the IGov project will be focussing on over its lifetime. IGov argues that governance of an energy transition is not just about understanding (1) its technocratic requirements; nor (2) is it confined to understanding the policy, regulatory, institutional and incentive requirements, and how they

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  • Working Paper: Demand and Decarbonisation in 2050: Themes from Scenarios

    February 25, 2014

    Working Paper: Demand and Decarbonisation in 2050: Themes from Scenarios

    Demand and Decarbonisation in 2050: Themes from Scenarios By: Tom Steward – Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter EPG Working Paper: 1401 Abstract: In light of the emissions targets in The Climate Change Act, and reflecting the fact that the majority of UK emissions come from the production of energy, it is clear the energy sector will play a central role in the transition to a low carbon economy. In addition to the need for decarbonisation, energy must also be made secure, and affordable. These three goals are complex and often conflicting; however this paper proposes that

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  • Working Paper: Governance, Innovation and the Transition to a Sustainable Energy System: Perspectives from Economic Theory

    July 26, 2013

    Working Paper: Governance, Innovation and the Transition to a Sustainable Energy System: Perspectives from Economic Theory

    Governance, Innovation and the Transition to a Sustainable Energy System: Perspectives from Economic Theory By: Matthew Lockwood EPG Working Paper: 1305 Abstract: This paper reviews basic ideas in economic theory about the governance of innovation, with applications to debates in innovation in sustainable energy. The aim is to extract a few broad issues to frame comparative analysis and the analysis of change. The review is motivated by the relevance of economic theory to innovation policy, by the fact that economics remains the dominant language of policy makers, and by gaps between the economic treatment of

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  • Working Paper: Theorising governance and innovation in sustainable energy transitions

    July 15, 2013

    Working Paper: Theorising governance and innovation in sustainable energy transitions

    Theorising governance and innovation in sustainable energy transitions By: Matthew Lockwood, Caroline Kuzemko, Catherine Mitchell, Richard Hoggett – Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter EPG Working Paper: 1304 Abstract: Understanding why and how it is that some countries are able to implement policies which lead to deeper and faster change in sustainable practices and outcomes is an important step in enabling an acceleration in the transition to a sustainable energy future. This paper presents a tentative, provisional framework for analysing energy system transition, differential outcomes and the reasons for them.  It suggests that energy system rules

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  • Working Paper: Politicizing UK Energy: What Speaking Energy Security Can Do

    June 10, 2013

    Working Paper: Politicizing UK Energy: What Speaking Energy Security Can Do

    Politicizing UK Energy: What Speaking Energy Security Can Do By: Dr Caroline Kuzemko,  Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter EPG Working Paper: 1303 Abstract This paper explores one set of conditions under which a policy area, energy, became politicized. It also explores the relationship between concepts of ‘speaking security’, which claim that the language of security is politically potent, and notions of (de-)politicization. It argues that framing energy supply as a security issue influenced an opening up of UK energy, which had been subject to processes of depoliticization since the early 1980s, to political interest

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  • Working Paper: The Political Sustainability of the 2008 Climate Change Act

    February 3, 2013

    Working Paper: The Political Sustainability of the 2008 Climate Change Act

    The Political Sustainability of the 2008 Climate Change Act By: Dr Matthew Lockwood,  Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter EPG Working Paper: 1302 Abstract This paper assesses the forces working for and against the political sustainability of the 2008 Climate Change Act. The adoption of the Act is often seen as a landmark commitment by the UK to action on climate change, but its implementation has not been studied in any depth. Recent events, including disagreements over the fourth carbon budget and the decarbonisation of the electricity sector, shows that while the Act attempted to

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