Papers by Jens Marquardt
Politics and Governance, 2021
The 2030 Agenda of the United Nations comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 s... more The 2030 Agenda of the United Nations comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 sub-targets which serve as a global reference point for the transition to sustainability. The agenda acknowledges that different issues such as poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, environmental degradation, among others, are intertwined and can therefore only be addressed together. Implementing the SDGs as an ‘indivisible whole’ represents the actual litmus test for the success of the 2030 Agenda. The main challenge is accomplishing a more integrated approach to sustainable development that encompasses new governance frameworks for enabling and managing systemic transformations. This thematic issue addresses the question whether and how the SDGs set off processes of societal transformation, for which cooperation between state and non-state actors at all political levels (global, regional, national, sub-national), in different societal spheres (politics, society, and econo...
Frontiers in Communication, 2020
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 2017
This article unveils how the complex multilevel governance system of a developing country affects... more This article unveils how the complex multilevel governance system of a developing country affects environmental policy implementation. The Philippine Renewable Energy Act is discussed as an in-depth case study. The law was passed in 2008 to increase the share of renewables in the electricity mix, but its implementation remains a challenge. Analysing the complex multilevel governance system of the Philippines, this article shows how interjurisdictional coordination and the distribution of power resources and capacities affect the implementation process. This qualitative research is based on key documents and insights from 48 expert interviews. From a theoretical perspective, research about power in central–local relations can make a useful contribution to current multilevel governance concepts.
Energy Procedia, 2014
A shift towards renewable energy is a complex, multi-dimensional policy goal that involves nation... more A shift towards renewable energy is a complex, multi-dimensional policy goal that involves national and subnational actors within a multi-level governance system-especially in heavily decentralized countries like Indonesia. This leads to the following research question: How does the multi-level governance framework in a decentralized country like Indonesia affect efforts for a transition towards renewable energy? The country serves as a case study due to its highly decentralized political system. This qualitative research is especially based on interviews with relevant national and subnational stakeholders. Transition management is used as a theoretical framework. This paper concludes that weak local capacity, a lack of awareness for national intentions on subnational levels and vice versa as well as missing consultation during policy formulation are major obstacles for renewables support in Indonesia.
Digital sustainability education (DSE) is becoming increasingly relevant in higher Education for ... more Digital sustainability education (DSE) is becoming increasingly relevant in higher Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and spreads globally. DSE is fueled by the Covid-19-pandemic and urges lecturers, students and universities alike to break new ground in academic teaching. DSE impacts established approaches to ESD and raises questions of appropriate online teaching concepts, tools and enabling institutional, legal and political conditions. While lecturers are facing the challenge to conceptualize and implement innovative DSE concepts, students have to deal with new learning dynamics, requirements and obstacles. More and more universities are committed to or called upon to build enabling infrastructures for the spread and institutionalization of DSE. This working paper discusses core objectives and contextual conditions of DSE and sheds light on political, conceptual and didactical issues. It presents the outcomes of the online workshop "Digital Sustainability Education: Innovative Teaching Practices and Didactics in Times of Crisis" co-hosted by the Center for international Development and Environmental Research (ZEU) at Justus Liebig University Giessen and the Working Group Environmental Politics and Global Change of the German Political Science Association (25-26 March 2021). The paper maps eight good practice DSE teaching examples developed by lecturers from universities from different countries, introduces a toolbox and provides insights into individual and collective lessons learned. In doing so, the working paper contributes to current conceptual and political discussions on DSE and seeks to provide practical orientation for everyone engaged in the dynamic DSE field and university teaching in general.
Die Philippinen wachsen rasant. Allein 2013 stieg das Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) um mehr als sieb... more Die Philippinen wachsen rasant. Allein 2013 stieg das Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) um mehr als sieben Prozent. Dafür braucht es Energie, die mehr und mehr aus Kohle gewonnen wird. Den Betroffenen wird wirtschaftlicher Fortschritt versprochen; doch zu spüren bekommen sie vor allem die negativen Folgen. Auf Palawan hat sich gegen dieses Dilemma des philippinischen Entwicklungsmodells Widerstand formiert.
Public Money & Management, 2015
This article reports on an in depth survey of the practice of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) ... more This article reports on an in depth survey of the practice of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) in 16 developing and emerging economies. It reveals that RIA is playing an increasing role in these countries: eight have introduced RIA in the last ten years; one has recently redesigned its existing RIA system; another has a longstanding RIA system in place. However, RIA still remains at an early stage of development in the majority of cases and six countries do not practice RIA.
Wie kann die Energiewende gelingen? Welche Strategien sind nötig, um sie zu beschleunigen? Welche... more Wie kann die Energiewende gelingen? Welche Strategien sind nötig, um sie zu beschleunigen? Welche Rolle spielen lokale, nationale und internationale Akteure? Mit diesen Fragen beschäftigt sich die vierte Ausgabe des "Jahrbuchs Nachhaltige Ökonomie. Im Brennpunkt: Die Energiewende als gesellschaftlicher Transformationsprozess", erschienen im Metropolis Verlag.
Since the 1980s, donors already support solar power projects in the Philippines. Reports and docu... more Since the 1980s, donors already support solar power projects in the Philippines. Reports and documentations provide a positive image on project success, but field trips to earlier project sites
tell an opposing story. This field report shows that even in an area with only little donor fragmentation problems like a lack of coordination, communication and learning lead to unsustainable projects. It confronts official project reports with the latest experiences from the field and provides qualitative information to an ongoing debate about potentials and problems of donor diversification.
Germany tries to promote itself as an international frontrunner in the field of energy politics w... more Germany tries to promote itself as an international frontrunner in the field of energy politics with its national Energiewende. Beyond that, the federal government aims to export its Energiewende also to other countries and constructs a specific energy-related national image. However, this image represents only a fraction of associations related to the Energiewende in the German context. With the help of interviews and an documents analysis this paper illustrates how German development organizations promote the German Energiewende in the Philippine context and how this is being perceived by their Philippine partners. It can be shown that a difference exists between both sides: The associations on the Philippine side are much more nuanced and controversial. Based on these empirical findings conclusions will be drawn regarding the cooperation between both countries. This paper is first of all an empirical and practically oriented piece of work in an under-researched area. It aims to encourage further empirical studies as well a theoretical reflections in this field.
A shift towards renewable energy is a complex, multi-dimensional policy goal that involves nation... more A shift towards renewable energy is a complex, multi-dimensional policy goal that involves national and subnational
actors within a multi-level governance system – especially in heavily decentralized countries like Indonesia. This
leads to the following research question: How does the multi-level governance framework in a decentralized country
like Indonesia affect efforts for a transition towards renewable energy? The country serves as a case study due to its
highly decentralized political system. This qualitative research is especially based on interviews with relevant
national and subnational stakeholders. Transition management is used as a theoretical framework. This paper
concludes that weak local capacity, a lack of awareness for national intentions on subnational levels and vice versa
as well as missing consultation during policy formulation are major obstacles for renewables support in Indonesia.
südostasien, 2010
Mithilfe des Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) können Industriestaaten in Entwicklungsländern kli... more Mithilfe des Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) können Industriestaaten in Entwicklungsländern klimafreundliche Projekte fördern, um damit ihre eigene Klimabilanz aufzubessern. Positiver Nebeneffekt: Durch den Austausch werden Technologietransfer und nachhaltige Entwicklung gefördert – so zumindest die Theorie. In der Praxis gibt es neben Licht aber auch viel Schatten, wie Erfahrungen aus den Philippinen zeigen.
The role of developing countries in climate negotiations in general and as the Group of 77 in spe... more The role of developing countries in climate negotiations in general and as the Group of 77 in specific has been investigated duing climate negotiations in Poznan 2009.
Dealing with potentials and barriers of the Clean Development Mechanism in the Philippines.
Conference Presentations by Jens Marquardt
Steigender Energiebedarf ist eine der größten Herausforderungen für Südostasien. Internationaler ... more Steigender Energiebedarf ist eine der größten Herausforderungen für Südostasien. Internationaler Organisationen prognostizieren eine Verdreifachung des Energiebedarfs in der Region bis 2030. Der Stromverbrauch in Südostasiens wirtschaftlich stärkstem Land Indonesien stieg in den vergangenen zehn Jahren jährlich zwischen acht und neun Prozent. Ähnliches gilt für die Philippinen. Zur Deckung des Bedarfs werden vor allem im Kohlebereich neue Kapazitäten aufgebaut. Bi- und multilaterale Entwicklungsorganisationen versuchen vor diesem Hintergrund seit den 1990ern einen Wandel hin zu erneuerbaren Energien zu fördern. Gleichzeitig ist der Anteil erneuerbarer Energien entweder gering (Indonesien) oder fallend (Philippinen). Dies wird immer wieder auch mit den komplexen Entscheidungsstrukturen im politischen Mehrebenensystem beider Länder begründet und führt zur zentralen Forschungsfrage: Wie können Geber-Projekte zur Förderung erneuerbarer Energien den Stromsektor in dezentral organisierten politischen Systemen wie Indonesien oder den Philippinen beeinflussen?
Indonesien und die Philippinen erlebten nach autoritären Regimen einen Prozess radikaler Dezentralisierung mit der Folge, dass subnationale Akteure auch im Bereich erneuerbarer Energien eine zentrale Rolle spielen. Dies wirft energiepolitische Fragen von Koordination, Konflikten und Interaktion im Mehrebenensystem auf, die bisher lediglich im Kontext von OECD-Staaten diskutiert werden. Entwicklungsprojekte setzen sowohl lokal (Demonstrationsprojekte), als auch national (Beratung) an. Basierend auf 100 Experteninterviews mit Stakeholdern der Stromsektoren in Indonesien und den Philippinen sowie Fallstudien ausgewählter Entwicklungsprojekte in beiden Ländern verortet diese Forschung die Förderung erneuerbarer Energien im Mehrebensystem beider Länder. Die Mehrebenenperspektive der Transition Studies ermöglicht dabei als Analyserahmen Potentiale und Hindernisse für Effekte von der Niche- auf die Regime-Ebene zu betrachten. Dabei wird deutlich, dass die Mehrebenenproblematik ein entscheidender Faktor für das Scheitern von Projekten sein kann.
Energy policy-makers in emerging economies find themselves in a dilemma: They need to secure ener... more Energy policy-makers in emerging economies find themselves in a dilemma: They need to secure energy supply for economic growth and address environmental issues such as climate change at the same time. How to cope with this dilemma? Indonesia and the Philippines are most vulnerable to climate change and face permanent energy shortages due to economic growth. Renewables could solve the dilemma theoretically, but faces severe challenges in practice. Supportive policies are in place, but not being implemented. Therefore, this paper poses the following question: What are the constraints for renewable energy policies in Indonesia and the Philippines and how are they linked to the energy dilemma? This paper takes a multi-level governance perspective and uses the transition management approach to trace challenges and constraints for renewable energy policies. Addressing the dilemma is not only a matter of national policy-making, but also of local participation and multi-level interaction.
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Papers by Jens Marquardt
tell an opposing story. This field report shows that even in an area with only little donor fragmentation problems like a lack of coordination, communication and learning lead to unsustainable projects. It confronts official project reports with the latest experiences from the field and provides qualitative information to an ongoing debate about potentials and problems of donor diversification.
actors within a multi-level governance system – especially in heavily decentralized countries like Indonesia. This
leads to the following research question: How does the multi-level governance framework in a decentralized country
like Indonesia affect efforts for a transition towards renewable energy? The country serves as a case study due to its
highly decentralized political system. This qualitative research is especially based on interviews with relevant
national and subnational stakeholders. Transition management is used as a theoretical framework. This paper
concludes that weak local capacity, a lack of awareness for national intentions on subnational levels and vice versa
as well as missing consultation during policy formulation are major obstacles for renewables support in Indonesia.
Conference Presentations by Jens Marquardt
Indonesien und die Philippinen erlebten nach autoritären Regimen einen Prozess radikaler Dezentralisierung mit der Folge, dass subnationale Akteure auch im Bereich erneuerbarer Energien eine zentrale Rolle spielen. Dies wirft energiepolitische Fragen von Koordination, Konflikten und Interaktion im Mehrebenensystem auf, die bisher lediglich im Kontext von OECD-Staaten diskutiert werden. Entwicklungsprojekte setzen sowohl lokal (Demonstrationsprojekte), als auch national (Beratung) an. Basierend auf 100 Experteninterviews mit Stakeholdern der Stromsektoren in Indonesien und den Philippinen sowie Fallstudien ausgewählter Entwicklungsprojekte in beiden Ländern verortet diese Forschung die Förderung erneuerbarer Energien im Mehrebensystem beider Länder. Die Mehrebenenperspektive der Transition Studies ermöglicht dabei als Analyserahmen Potentiale und Hindernisse für Effekte von der Niche- auf die Regime-Ebene zu betrachten. Dabei wird deutlich, dass die Mehrebenenproblematik ein entscheidender Faktor für das Scheitern von Projekten sein kann.
tell an opposing story. This field report shows that even in an area with only little donor fragmentation problems like a lack of coordination, communication and learning lead to unsustainable projects. It confronts official project reports with the latest experiences from the field and provides qualitative information to an ongoing debate about potentials and problems of donor diversification.
actors within a multi-level governance system – especially in heavily decentralized countries like Indonesia. This
leads to the following research question: How does the multi-level governance framework in a decentralized country
like Indonesia affect efforts for a transition towards renewable energy? The country serves as a case study due to its
highly decentralized political system. This qualitative research is especially based on interviews with relevant
national and subnational stakeholders. Transition management is used as a theoretical framework. This paper
concludes that weak local capacity, a lack of awareness for national intentions on subnational levels and vice versa
as well as missing consultation during policy formulation are major obstacles for renewables support in Indonesia.
Indonesien und die Philippinen erlebten nach autoritären Regimen einen Prozess radikaler Dezentralisierung mit der Folge, dass subnationale Akteure auch im Bereich erneuerbarer Energien eine zentrale Rolle spielen. Dies wirft energiepolitische Fragen von Koordination, Konflikten und Interaktion im Mehrebenensystem auf, die bisher lediglich im Kontext von OECD-Staaten diskutiert werden. Entwicklungsprojekte setzen sowohl lokal (Demonstrationsprojekte), als auch national (Beratung) an. Basierend auf 100 Experteninterviews mit Stakeholdern der Stromsektoren in Indonesien und den Philippinen sowie Fallstudien ausgewählter Entwicklungsprojekte in beiden Ländern verortet diese Forschung die Förderung erneuerbarer Energien im Mehrebensystem beider Länder. Die Mehrebenenperspektive der Transition Studies ermöglicht dabei als Analyserahmen Potentiale und Hindernisse für Effekte von der Niche- auf die Regime-Ebene zu betrachten. Dabei wird deutlich, dass die Mehrebenenproblematik ein entscheidender Faktor für das Scheitern von Projekten sein kann.
Therefore, this paper raises the following research question: How can a regime shift towards renewable energy be governed within a multi-level political system in Asia? This research takes a multi-level perspective to highlight the interactions between various levels of decision-making that are relevant for the energy regime. It elaborates on how interaction and coordination patterns could be optimized to improve outcomes related to renewable energy. The Philippines and Indonesia serve as case studies, because their political systems feature a high degree of decentralization that makes coordination efforts between national and subnational actors necessary. This empirical research is based on legal documents to trace the implementation of regulations like the 2008 RE Act in the Philippines. Moreover, interviews with relevant national and subnational authorities in both countries are a fundamental part of this work. Due to their political system the Philippines and Indonesia illustrate the challenges and obstacles for governing the energy regime in a multi-level environment.
The goal of this research is to highlight the (missing) links between different levels of decision-making to identify barriers and potentials for renewable energy support. This research illustrates that missing capacity on the local level, a lack of awareness for national intentions on subnational levels and vice versa as well as a gap between national planning and local implementation due to a lack of consultation during the process of policy formulation play a major role renewable energy policies. From a practical point of view this paper addresses policy-makers to raise awareness for these (missing) links between different levels of decision-making. On the theoretical part, this work should further develop the transition management approach that has mainly been used in European countries so far, but lacks empirical experience from other parts of the world. The approach works as an overarching framework, because it takes the multi-level perspective into account.
In such an environment, development aid agencies have tried to promote RE projects since the 1980s to achieve sustainable energy supply. Most projects were designed for local contexts and off-grid electrification to demonstrate feasibility of RE sources. Today, projects also provide policy advice for the national government, acknowledging the complexity of the multi-level system, in which a number of actors and levels of decision making are involved. Despite long term support from various donors, no significant shift towards sustainable energy systems can be observed in Southeast Asia, which leads us to the following fundamental research question:
How is development aid being used to promote renewable energies and why is it failing to achieve its overarching goals in the multi-level governance system of Southeast Asian countries?
To answer this question, I will take a two steps approach: First, it will be described how development aid agencies promote RE in Southeast Asia within a multi-level political system. It will then be shown how the multi-level political system affects these projects to identify barriers for promoting an energy transition. This research is guided by the following assumptions:
1. Missing links between different political levels are a major barrier for project success.
2. A strong coordinating authority in the recipient country is a prerequisite for project success.
3. Development aid projects on the local level fail to consider national framework conditions.
4. Development aid projects on the national level fail to link their efforts to specific projects.
To investigate these assumptions this research will focus on RE projects in the Philippines and Indonesia – two countries with a highly decentralized multi-level political system, increasing energy demand and an active development aid landscape. For the theoretical background I will take a multi-level governance framework combined with the transition management approach as a tool to analyze development aid projects’ effects. Documents will be reviewed and interviews conducted for this qualitative research that will discuss the role of the political system for success or failure of RE project activities in the Philippines and Indonesia from a multi-level governance perspective.
Dabei wird ein sehr konkretes energiepolitisches Image Deutschlands transportiert, das nur einen Teil der in Deutschland mit der Energiewende verbundenen Assoziationen aufnimmt, wie die Arbeit zeigt. In einem zweiten Schritt wird am Beispiel der Philippinen mithilfe von Interviews und einer Dokumentenanalyse aufgezeigt, wie einerseits die heimische Energiewende seitens deutscher Entwicklungsprojekte dargestellt wird (Darstellungsebene) und wie sie andererseits von den philippinischen Partnern antizipiert wird (Wahrnehmungsebene). Dabei zeigt sich, dass die Assoziationen zur deutschen Energiewende deutlich differenzierter und kontroverser ausfallen, als es die Darstellung seitens der deutschen Entwicklungsprojekte vermuten lässt. Darauf aufbauend werden erste Vermutungen zur Auswirkung auf die internationale Kooperation formuliert.
Die Arbeit versteht sich explizit als empirisches und praxisorientiertes Werk in einem bisher kaum beforschten Feld. Sie will zu weiteren empirischen Untersuchungen, aber auch theoretisch-konzeptionellen Überlegungen in diesem Bereich anregen.""
This paper takes RE support in the Philippines as an example to discuss a fundamental research questions: What are the positive and negative effects of a diversified development cooperation landscape in the case of renewable energy support in the Philippines? This paper will show that the process diversification has both positive and negative effects on the projects’ overall effects: On the one hand, the Philippines benefit from competition with regard to national policy advice, but need to decide what is best to be adapted to their country-specific context. On the other hand, parallel small scale demonstration projects suffer from the same mistakes that should already be known among donors. These activities could be more effective with a stronger Philippine coordination. New actors (such as the BMU) enter the field of development cooperation and need additional communication, but they can also fill gaps, that will otherwise not be covered.
This qualitative research will be based on document analysis and semi-structured expert interviews with development cooperation experts and partners in the Philippines. It aims not only to draw a detailed empirical picture of RE support in the Philippines, but also discuss the broader lines of a diversified development cooperation landscape with its negative and positive effects.
1. „Junge Menschen für Projekte der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit im Ausland zu begeistern, ist im Allgemeinen nicht schwer.“
2. „Die Herausforderung bei ‚entwicklungspolitischer Begeisterung‘ besteht vor allem darin, junge Menschen für langfristiges Engagement in Deutschland zu begeistern.“
What do these energy transitions look like? What are the driving forces behind? What are the barriers to be overcome? Which actors play a role? What are their instruments? Who is pursuing which interests?
This seminar takes these questions as a starting point to explore the current status of Energiewende around the world – focusing on Europe and selected countries around the world. The course will start with the German Energiewende setting and theoretical implications from political science. We will then have a closer look at case studies from European and other countries. Differences and similarities will be discussed to provide an outlook at the end of the seminar.
This seminar aims to tackle the topic of Energiewende in a comparative way, raise awareness for the complexity of the issues and demonstrate best practices as well as barriers for its political implementation. We will also look at the Energiewende in the context of a sustainability transition of the society. "