ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses how and under which conditions policymakers can deliberately accelerate sociotechnical transitions. Drawing on the Multi-Level Perspective, we investigate four historical case studies to draw lessons about deliberate government intervention to accelerate sociotechnical change. The case studies are: the British transition from railways to a car-dominated passenger transport system (1920–1970); the British transition from mixed agriculture to specialised wheat farming (1920–1970); the Dutch energy transition from coal to natural gas-based heating (1945–1973); and the Danish transition to from oil to district heating (1973–1990). Despite their diversity, these case studies show three commonalities in terms of the policies, political strategies and broader contexts. First, regime resistance was disarmed in some way. Second, there was a strong reason for the public to support, or at least not actively oppose, the accelerated transition. Finally, in each case, policymakers chose to support a technology that was already well developed, rather than boosting a brand-new innovation. These conditions for successful deliberate acceleration were shaped either by external landscape developments (e.g. war, oil shocks, pre-existing political cultures) or by deliberate policy interventions (compensating incumbents, consumer protection policies, positive narratives).
