Transition Toward Decarbonization: Cross-National Perspectives on Transformative and Collaborative Policy Approaches

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

The transition toward decarbonization is a complex and multifaceted challenge, shaped by technical, social, political, environmental, and institutional factors. Meeting this challenge requires not only transformative and resilient policy solutions but also collaborative approaches that engage diverse stakeholders—including policymakers, researchers, industry actors, and civil society—to ensure fossil fuel phase-downs are effective, just, and impactful.

This panel explores how factors such as policy uncertainty, technological innovation, regulatory clarity, external crises, and institutional adaptability influence decarbonization across different national and sectoral contexts. We examine these dynamics in the cement industry, coal sector, and natural gas use in buildings, focusing on developments in the United States, China, and the European Union. The panel aligns closely with the APPAM conference theme, Forging Collaborations for Transformative and Resilient Policy Solutions, by highlighting both the importance of collaboration and the institutional mechanisms that make such collaboration transformative.

Paper 1 analyzes the investment behavior of 177 cement plants across Europe under various decarbonization policy scenarios, emphasizing the role of policy credibility in shaping industry decisions. Paper 2 explores innovative solutions for phasing down natural gas in buildings in the U.S., focusing on the intersection of technological alternatives and policy impacts. Paper 3 examines how stakeholder arguments, captured through news text data, influenced a major coal policy shift during the recent energy crisis, offering insights into how external crises are strategically leveraged to drive policy change by different stakeholders. Paper 4 explores how China’s state-owned enterprises navigated large-scale workforce reductions during coal sector restructuring, with a focus on institutional mechanisms for workforce resettlement.

Collectively, these papers shed light on how transformative and collaborative policy approaches shape the decarbonization process. By examining cross-sectoral and cross-national cases, the panel offers rich insights into what enables transformative change, how resilience is built into policy design, and what lessons can be drawn for accelerating the energy transition globally. We aim to spark a dialogue on how governance structures, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive policy tools can be aligned to overcome barriers and drive forward low-carbon futures.

Policy Area

• Natural Resource, Energy, and Environmental Policy

Secondary Policy Area

• Innovations in Science and Technology

Chair

• David J Schwegman, American University

Discussants

• Kaifang Luo

• David J Schwegman, American University

Individual Presentations

• Policy design for the low-carbon transition of the European cement industry under technology uncertainty - Presenting Author: Bjarne Steffen, ETH Zurich

• Designing effective and equitable policies for natural gas phaseout in buildings - Non-Presenting Co-Author: Jaime Garibay Rodriguez; Presenting Author: Morgan Edwards, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Crisis-Induced Policy Change: Evidence from The Role of Advocacy Coalitions in Shaping Coal Power Policies - Presenting Author: YU XIAO, Florida State University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Xue Gao, Florida State University

• Employment Without Dismissal? Navigating Workforce Resettlement During China’s Coal Sector Transition - Presenting Author: QUAN ZOU, University of California San Diego; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Michael R Davidson, Harvard University

Organizer

• Xue Gao, Florida State University