A transition so that everything can stay the same? Institutional change and path dependence in French and German energy transitions

The article analyses the emergence, uses and political uptake of the “energy transition” concept in France and Germany. It shows that the mobilization of the notion takes place in contexts of high conflict, where governments try to channel crises that are likely to slip away from them. The comparison reveals two distinct forms of political uptake: a “domesticated transition” in Germany, which corresponds to the re-appropriation by political and administrative actors of an alternative policy narrative; and an “orchestrated transition” in France, which is manifested by a partial and controlled ‘opening up’ of the dominant policy community. Beyond these differences, the political use of the notion of transition appears to be profoundly ambivalent, since it is as much a matter of expressing a desire for change as of ensuring forms of political control that circumscribe the scope and content of the transformations. The article thus demonstrates that the imperative of “energy transition”, far from representing first and foremost the driving force behind a profound transformation of the energy sector, is also used to ensure stability in this sector and/or in related policy areas.