Cooler coalitions for a warmer planet: A review of political strategies for accelerating energy transitions

The lack of progress on greenhouse-gas reduction at the global level has drawn attention to the need to strengthen support for energy-transition policies. One crucial component of such support is a better understanding of the political strategy of coalitions that support such policies. Based on a comprehensive review of research in the energy and social science field, this study covers three main units of political strategy: the targets of action (government, public opinion, and businesses), the repertoires of action (both institutional and extra institutional), and the agents of action (coalition building and composition). The review articulates political strategy as an area of theoretical and empirical research with results that are relevant for political actors. For example, coalition building includes policy sequencing, modifications to accommodate incumbents, goals that enroll low- and middle-income organizations, the recruitment of countervailing industrial power, and policy selection for conservatives. Future research topics are also identified.