Title: Power failures: metagoverning a revival of nuclear power in Britain

Authors: Keith Baker

Addresses: Department of Social Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK

Abstract: The British Government is attempting, through metagovernance, to encourage a transition to a low carbon electricity generation industry by promoting a revival of nuclear power. This paper considers the barriers that the British Government might encounter by analysing its metagovernance efforts within the context of a dynamic, co-evolving socio-technical regime. It is shown that the British Government|s attempts to metagovern a transition to nuclear power are likely to fail. This is because the British Government has failed to secure the support of a number of important stakeholders, is pursuing an unrealistic policy, is subject to critical dependencies, and cannot easily exercise authority over a complex network. The paper concludes by arguing that these failures are due to the British Government|s inability to understand the process by which transitions occur.

Keywords: electricity system; metagovernance; multi-level perspective; MLP; nuclear power; strategic niche management; SNM; sustainability; transitions; transition management; UK; United Kingdom; sustainable development; nuclear energy; low carbon economy; transition governance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2012.044037

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2012 Vol.15 No.1/2, pp.107 - 124

Published online: 30 Aug 2014 *

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