ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter explains how the multi-field approach can help in explaining aspects of domestic policy development often overlooked by other policy perspectives, and it shows how this volume contributes to the comparative literature on climate and energy policy. In this book, we ask: what can explain the differences and similarities in renewables support-scheme mixes across countries and over time? We examine and compare how developments in Germany, the UK, Poland, France, Sweden and Norway are affected by multiple social fields, and this chapter summarizes main findings. We conclude that the European environment shapes domestic policy developments more when strong vertical Europeanization (the EU has superior authority) is combined with coherent horizontal Europeanization – whereby one specific support-scheme mix gains superiority in the European environment. Organizational fields are important, but nowhere have powerful organizational field actors had full control over the development of support schemes. Lastly, political fields tend to be more important when the political issue is salient and when responsibility is shared among several ministries, when the legislative assembly has a strong position and/or when there is a coalition government. The chapter further lays out our scientific method and presents all the remaining chapters of the book.
