Renewable Energy and Local Governance in China

该子项目研究可再生能源的快速部署如何影响中国的地方治理。由于可再生能源的技术和物理特性，成功的能源转型需要分散使用可再生能源。然而，这对传统的中央集权的中国能源系统构成了挑战，因为中国中央政府无法控制地方一级可再生能源使用的每一个细节。因此，可再生能源的快速部署和电力系统的分散化在地方一级创造了国家治理薄弱的领域-正如研究小组所定义的那样。在此背景下，该子项目调查了中国当地社区如何抓住制度空白带来的机遇，并组织向可再生能源使用的预期过渡。他们如何平衡相互冲突的目标和利益？能源转型是稳定了现有的经济、社会或政治界限，还是创造了新的界限？与早期对中国能源部门或环境政策的调查主要关注评估国家政策实施的成败不同，本次项目侧重于为应对这些挑战和机遇而发展的地方自治形式。通过分析地方治理的过程，本次项目研究正式和非正式规则如何演变，以及这些规则如何影响能源转型背景下地方和国家行为体之间的关系。该研究小组的目的是从理论上探讨不同时期和不同地区国家治理薄弱地区的地方自治，其具体贡献在于探讨技术革命引发的地方治理变化。该分项目依赖于制度理论的见解，并参考了多层次治理的概念，这两个是有用的表征中国的政治制度和中央文献的过渡管理，其中强调地方生态位的重要性，为政治创新。该子项目将导致两篇论文，这将是基于案例研究在两个中国地区（江苏和重庆）。博士生将在中国进行平行研究，但将侧重于不同的分析问题，为他们的论文进行实证研究。主要研究者（子项目申请人）将监督博士生，并通过对案例进行比较分析，将其与另一个正在进行的DFG项目的见解相结合，并整合转型管理研究的视角，为研究小组的理论工作提供投入。

This subproject investigates how the fast deployment of renewable energies is influencing local governance in China. Due to the technical and physical characteristics of renewable energies, a successful energy transition requires a decentralised use of renewables. This, however, challenges the traditionally centralised Chinese energy system, as the Chinese central state cannot control the details of renewable energy use at the local level in every detail. As a result, the fast deployment of renewables and the decentralisation of the power system create areas of weak state governance – as defined by the research group – at the local level. Against this background, the subproject investigates how local communities in China are seizing the opportunities presented by institutional void and are organizing the intended transition to renewable energy use. How are they balancing conflicting goals and interests? Does the energy transition stabilize existing economic, social or political liminations or does it create new ones? Unlike earlier investigations into China’s energy sector or environmental policies that were primarily interested in assessing the success or failure of state policy implementation, this subproject focuses on the forms of local self-governance that are developing in order to address these challenges and opportunities.By analysing the processes of local governance, the subproject investigates how formal and informal rules evolve, and how these rules influence the relationship between local and state actors in the context of the energy transition. The subproject’s specific contribution to the research group, which intends to produce theoretical insight into local self-governance in areas of weak state governance at different times and in different regions, lies in addressing the aspect of changes in local governance triggered by a technological revolution.The subproject relies on insights from institutional theory and in addition refers to concepts of multi-level governance, which are both useful for characterizing the Chinese political system and central to the literature on transition management, which emphasizes the importance of local niches for political innovations.The subproject will result in two dissertations, which will be based on case studies in two Chinese regions (Jiangsu and Chongqing). The doctoral students will conduct the empirical research for their dissertations in parallel research stays in China but will focus on different analytical questions. The principal investigator (subproject applicant) will supervise the doctoral students and develop input for the theoretical work of the research group by conducting comparative analyses of the cases, combining this with insights from another ongoing DFG project and integrating the perspective of transition management research.