Skip to content

Energy and Climate Governance

This research colloquium addresses governance-related issues that have to do with low carbon energy transition and the climate change mitigation mission.

EU Member States have agreed that the EU must emit at least 55% less by 2030. Achieving this objective poses a considerable challenge of high complexity. This requires attention from the public private and civic sectors, with multiple stakeholders having interests, with different agendas, and involvement in decision-making. Moreover, low carbon energy transition spans multiple levels of governance and calls for coordination. In summary, low carbon energy transition may be classified in terms of a ‘wicked’ or at least ‘poorly structured’ problem. This calls for coordinated and collaborative action, with supportive governance arrangement that deal with complexity. However, the current governance and organisation of the energy sector – and other relevant economic sectors – that are subject to energy transition, are not adequate for transitioning towards reaching the 2050 goal. Additionally, there are considerable societal and political tensions that make this process even more challenging (cf. the debate and national government coalition decision to terminate net metering). Nonetheless, the challenge ahead calls for action. This includes adaptation of current governance arrangements, regulatory frameworks and policy mixes. As traditional institutions are considered ineffective and failing to address tensions regarding conflicting public values (e.g., sustainability vs. affordability), there is a need for (re-)design of current frameworks, which also calls for innovation in governance and policy.

The theoretical focus of the colloquium is on understanding the transition towards a sustainable energy economy from a legal, as well as public administration / policy studies perspective. This is innovative since the dominant theoretical approach in analyzing transitions (or rather called ‘system innovation’) stems from other disciplines like economics and Science and Technology Studies, in which the research object – the transition from a traditional ‘dirty’ energy economy towards a ‘sustainable-sound’ or ‘circular’ energy economy – is for instance analyzed from ecological evolutionary, or neo-institutional economic perspective. Not surprisingly, analytical efforts remain one-sidedly economic and only focus on historical long term developments. In our opinion, the role of government, governance and law (also considering short term ‘how’-questions), and the institutional conditions and settings under which transitions may occur, need more attention. 

Multiple public and private stakeholders are involved in decision-making on energy and climate issues. The theme is quite broad and involves multiple layers of governance and multiple (types of) actors. Due to their sheer numbers, their wide array of interests, and the fact that not all of them are ready to compromise, there is a high degree of complexity. Energy and climate change (mitigation) issues and the quest for the transition towards a carbon free society may be classified in terms of a ‘wicked’ or at least ‘poorly structured’ problem. Indeed, conformity on achievable goals and a coherent strategy is absent, let alone the selection of a coherent policy mix and roadmaps to incrementally contribute to a strategy to bring this transition about.

    • Annual panel session at NIG conference (so also present at the 2026 NIG conference in Leuven on 5-6 February).
    • Off-site NIG research colloquium event, Utrecht, 13 November 2025. Morning session: agenda on strategy, activities and goals of the research colloquium; Afternoon session: workshop on current state of governance of energy transition in The Netherlands.
    • Multiple online meetings to discuss and coordinate actions of the research colloquium (like preparing a joint perspective article).
    • Community building event (e.g., one-day event, including nature walk).
    • We consider to organize a panel session at a 2026 international conference.

2023-2026