University of Twente Student Theses
Disrupted or Disguised? The Impact of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine on Discursive Contestations over the European Energy Transition
Schwope, J.P. (2023) Disrupted or Disguised? The Impact of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine on Discursive Contestations over the European Energy Transition.
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| Abstract: | To reach carbon neutrality by 2050, the EU currently relies on fossil gas as a so-called bridge fuel. This dominant discourse is increasingly being contested by voices from civil society and academia delegitimizing fossil gas as a dangerous bridge to nowhere. Using a process-oriented, discourse analytical approach, this thesis examines the evolution of the discursive field in the context of the disruptive shock posed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis it triggered. For this purpose, this thesis presents a novel theoretical framework for examining the conditions under which a disruptive shock translates into a critical juncture for discursive change. The final analysis shows that despite the presence of a potentially disruptive event, the discursive outcome, i.e., the REPowerEU plan, represents a renewed discursive lock-in of gas. Hence, this thesis finds that a disruptive shock is not a sufficient condition for discursive change. Moreover, actors' discursive agency as well as their strategic responses, such as narratives, matter. Precisely, change was found to have been impeded by three closely interlinked discursive lock-in mechanisms: first, a continued failure of the challenger coalition to question meta-discursive assumptions; second, continued asymmetries in incumbents’ and challengers’ discursive agency; and third, the incumbent coalitions’ strategic practice of narrative co-optation. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 08 philosophy, 71 sociology, 89 political science |
| Programme: | Management Society and Technology BSc (56654) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/96237 |
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