A Cross-National Comparative Study of Renewable Energy Policy Response Levels

• In Event: Evidence-based Govenrance and Policy for Health, Energy, and Environment in South Korea

Abstract

Why has South Korea’s renewable energy expansion policy produced persistently low outcomes? Despite continued efforts to align with international norms and policy trends—through institutional reforms and sustained public investment—South Korea has consistently fallen short of its stated renewable energy goals. This study seeks to understand the structural causes of such stagnation by comparing renewable energy policy responses across countries. Institutions are viewed not as unitary actors but as complex arrangements shaped by the interaction of diverse internal and external factors. Drawing on this perspective, the study aims to identify how differences in institutional contexts shape policy implementation outcomes, and to derive meaningful implications for South Korea’s energy transition efforts.

To this end, the study integrates theoretical insights from historical institutionalism and policy implementation theory, linking structural, institutional, and actor-centered variables with Lester’s (1990, 1994) environmental policy implementation model. The model’s core concepts—policy commitment and administrative capacity—serve as the analytical foundation for assessing national variation. The framework distinguishes between internal determinants and structural environmental factors, each operationalized through a specific set of measurable indicators.

The quantitative analysis employs time-series data (2000–2023) from the OECD Environmental Protection Expenditure Account (EPEA), focusing on public expenditures for environmental R&D and climate change mitigation, as well as the OECD Environmental Policy Stringency Index (EPS), per capita GDP, and the share of renewable energy in each country’s primary energy supply. These variables are used to comparatively assess countries’ levels of policy commitment and capacity. The study also incorporates an evaluation of cost-effectiveness by analyzing the rate of increase in renewable energy generation relative to the scale of fiscal investment, thus capturing not only input levels but differences in policy effectiveness.

Complementing the cross-national quantitative analysis, the study conducts a qualitative case analysis of Germany, Japan, and South Korea. Particular focus is placed on Germany’s institutional, political, and infrastructural conditions, which enabled the country to achieve the world’s highest share of renewable energy generation since 2000. Through this qualitative lens, the study investigates how internal and external factors interact to influence policy outcomes in ways that quantitative indicators alone may not fully capture.

This study combines quantitative data and qualitative case analysis to examine, in a structured and multidimensional manner, how institutional, structural, and actor-level contexts interact to shape national renewable energy policy responses. It finds that the observed variation in policy outcomes across countries is rooted in complex configurations of country-specific institutional arrangements and implementation capacities. In particular, the study offers an integrated perspective on how internal conditions and external pressures are intertwined throughout the renewable energy transition process. Based on this analysis, the study identifies comparative benchmarks and practical insights for strengthening South Korea’s implementation capacity in future renewable energy policy, thereby contributing both scholarly and policy-relevant value.

Authors

• Eunju SEO, Korea Environment Institute
  Presenting Author

• T. J. Lah
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Jongho KIM
  Non-Presenting Co-Author