Policy learning and unlearning towards a transition to a sustainable bioeconomy: The case of Germany

During the last decades, numerous national governments have supported the bioeconomy and framed it as a sustainable socio-technical transition. However, scholars argue that the sustainability of the bioeconomy depends on the interpretation of the concept by policy makers and the resulting policies that guide the transition on the ground. This interpretation is certainly not set in stone. On the contrary, bioeconomy policy making most likely represents a vivid process, in which policy (un)learning leads to constant (re)adjustments. To identify potential policy learning or unlearning we analyze the objectives and visions of 95 policy mix elements that form the bioeconomy policy mix between 2010 and 2024 in Germany. Our results show that the German bioeconomy policy mix is overall bioresource-oriented. At the same time, environmental protection and circularity gain importance. The observed readjustment follows the mode of policy layering and could indicate notions of learning where modifications are made while the initial policy idea remains unchanged.