The Networks of the Renewable Energy Policies in the United States, Belgium, and France.

Résumé du document

At the end of September 2004, the Russian government announced its ratification to the Kyoto protocol. This event gave the question of renewable energies a new breath. The goal of this work will be to compare the networks of decision in the three home countries of the members of the group, and to see if these eventual differences will result in very opposite policies regarding renewable energies. In this background, we shall begin with the presentation of several theoretical concepts on the field of the public policy analysis. Such a theoretical framework will be helpful to structure the following parts of the paper, and to have some basic concepts which we can refer to. After this, to enlighten our reflection, we will study the cases of our three countries: the United States of America, Belgium and France. In this part, we will analyze how the decisions concerning energy and more particularly renewable energies are taken in these nations. By doing so, we will be able to compare the types of governance presented and see if they result into various or opposite policies.

Extraits

[...] We will see that this last point may explain the slight place given to renewable energies in France. Indeed, we find it difficult to understand, while many European countries yield nuclear energy, French government carries on promoting this kind of energy. Thus, we may wonder if renewable energies have a role to play in the French energy policy. This question may be surprising when many political leaders, in Europe and also through the world, are talking about the principle of sustainable development. [...]

[...] This set of decisions and activities give rise to formal acts, more or less constraining, aiming at changing the behavior of social groups who are supposed to be the origin of the problem (target groups), in the interest of social groups who suffer from negative effects of the problem (final beneficiaries)[1]. This definition is very complete but quite general. To clarify it, we may identify in this statement eight components of a public policy. First, a public policy is a solution to a social problem, politically acknowledged as public. So there must be a situation of dissatisfaction that is submitted to the action of the public sector. [...]

[...] Thus, the question of energy policy seems to be decided by three actors: the first is the State that is influenced by the two others, the Administration (which is dominated by the nuclear lobby) and associations (which are more or less organized). And these three actors may take a decision about renewable energies. However, the difference of weight in the decision-making between the nuclear and the Green lobbies incites us to think that the French energy situation is not ready to change. [...]

[...] This step supposes a definition of the causes of the problem by public actors that can be influenced by social groups, and then a formulation of the political-administrative program: objectives, instruments, procedures to solve the problem. At this stage, we can also consider that there is screening and adjustments made by the state in relation to the demands of groups in the society. The implementation of the policy consists in an adaptation of the program to concrete situations. This is often more complex than just doing what was foreseen. [...]

[...] Finally the federal authority, again in order to have a coherent environment policy, set up dialogue groups with the Regions as with social partners. The two main regions have each made their plan of action in the energy sector. The most important point of these plans regarding renewable energy is the creation of ‘green certificates'. Because the liberalization of the energy sector in Belgium (running at the moment) will make even more difficult to let the market works in favor of renewable energy, these certificates are meant to respond to this problem. [...]