Policy-Driven Structural Change – Governance in the Transition from Coal to Bioeconomy

With the Agenda 2030, the international community has committed to ambitious goals for sustainable development. A core component of the envisioned transformation is to reduce dependence on fossil resources in sectors such as energy and agriculture. The overarching objective of a sustainable economy is widely agreed upon. Perceptions of sustainability and the measures considered necessary, however, differ. Previous experiences with the energy transition have shown that the stakeholders involved act based on their subjective perceptions and interests, which influences decision-making. This leads to a complex decision-making process that is determined by the dynamic interaction of the stakeholders involved and must take into account economic, social, and environmental considerations – and thus often conflicting objectives. <br> As part of this policy-driven transformation process and efforts towards climate protection, Germany currently faces the challenge of transforming the Rhenish lignite mining region. Following the far-reaching energy policy decision in the form of the coal phase-out, this regional structural change affects large parts of society and requires comprehensive governance. The aim of the envisioned transformation is to establish a sustainable bioeconomy. Identifying regional transformation pathways that are feasible, desirable, and acceptable, while considering the perspectives of individual stakeholders, constitutes a complex task. <br> This thesis integrates the perceptions of stakeholders and regional transformation pathways in a decision support system based on the operationalization of Amartya Sen's work on collective decision-making and methods of multi-criteria decision aid. The developed decision support system is applied to the Rhenish lignite mining region, as the region is particularly affected by the phase-out of coal and is to be developed as a model region for a sustainable bioeconomy. This work thus contributes to a better understanding of transformation dynamics and supports governance by deriving policy recommendations.