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Abstract

Critical to the trajectory and outcome of urban sustainable energy transitions is the ability of government institutions to foster conditions for change and innovation. In this paper, a theoretical perspective combining state power and local governance capability is used as a lens to examine the transition of the energy system in South Africa based on semi-structured interviews with a range of relevant stakeholders, supplemented by analysis of published academic and policy literature. The discussion highlights uneven transitional pathways across the country caused by variations in ‘capability’, together with continuing conflicting interests within the system which require more politically-informed policy processes.

Publication Date

2023-09-27

Publication Title

Urban Research & Practice

Volume

17

Issue

4

ISSN

1753-5069

Acceptance Date

2023-09-17

Deposit Date

2023-09-21

Embargo Period

2023-10-21

Funding

This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council/National Research Foundation Newton Fund Urban Transformations in South Africa scheme (ES/N014138/2: ‘Urban Transformation in South Africa through co-designing energy services provision pathways’ project). It was a collaborative project between the University of Cape Town, Sustainable Energy Africa, and the Universities of Exeter, Manchester, Sussex and Plymouth. Support was also provided by the AXA Research Fund for Dr de Groot’s involvement under the AXA Research Leader Programme: ‘Towards a fair, efficient and sustainable energy transition’.

Keywords

urban sustainable energy transitions, governance, South Africa, institutional capability, political power

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

First Page

515

Last Page

542

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