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Critical Junctures and the German Energiewende

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Germany's Energy Transition

Abstract

In this chapter, Stefes analyzes how Germany’s federal government has promoted the energy transition, from the introduction of the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Law in 1990 to the reforms of the Renewable Energy Law in 2014. A historical institutionalist account frames this analysis, showing how the FIT Law and subsequent legislation have unleashed a mutually reinforcing political and economic dynamic that has allowed a small pro-RE coalition to overcome resistance from the powerful coal and nuclear lobby. Yet he also demonstrates how opponents of the German Energiewende have time and again attempted to subvert this project through various legal and public campaigns.

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Stefes, C.H. (2016). Critical Junctures and the German Energiewende . In: Hager, C., Stefes, C. (eds) Germany's Energy Transition. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-44288-8_3

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