Abstract for: A Multi-Level Perspective on Policy Resistance in the Energy Transition

Policy incentives in the Netherlands to facilitate the transition from natural gas to other energy sources have not succeeded in convincing homeowners to use alternative energy sources. Traditional transition frameworks such as Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) lack a feedback approach and therefore fail to propose effective policy actions. While System Dynamics is better suited for identifying policy resistance, it does not yet shed light on the various levels at play in the energy transition. The objective of this research is to map out the structure of the system responsible for policy resistance among homeowners in the gas transition by enabling the identification of leverage points to overcome policy resistance in the gas transition with more effective policies and policies. Causal loop diagrams from two Group Model Building workshops are aggregated, representing the structure responsible for policy resistance. The resulting model will be analyzed and leverage points are identified. By means of qualitative deductive coding with the MLP framework, model and workshop results are analyzed to gain more insight in the multiple levels underlying policy resistance. Finally, these two methods are compared and similarities and differences are discussed, and more effective policies that yield greater commitment of homeowners will be suggested.