Regulatory and social dynamics of voluntary agreement adoption: The case of voluntary energy efficiency and GHG reduction agreement in South Korea

• Published in: Energy policy Vol. 148; p. 111903
• Main Authors: Seok, Jo-Eun, Kim, Junki, Park, Hyo Seong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2021; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Agreements; Efficiency; Energy efficiency; Energy policy; Environmental labelling; Environmental management; Greenhouse gases; Incentives; Industrial policy; Institutional pressures; Institutionalization; Labeling; Labelling; Learning; Maturation; Ownership; Policy learning; Public ownership; Public participation; Public voluntary program (PVP); Reduction; Regulatory response; Resource management; Social dynamics; Socioeconomic factors; Socioeconomic status; Socioeconomics; Timing of voluntary agreement (VA) adoption; Voluntary; South Korea; Institutional pressures; Public voluntary program (PVP); Timing of voluntary agreement (VA) adoption; Policy learning; Regulatory response
• ISSN: 0301-4215; 1873-6777
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111903

What are the forces that drive increasing adoption of voluntary agreements in the policy field? This paper attempts to answer the question by analyzing the mechanism behind the adoption by 877 entities of the voluntary energy efficiency and GHG reduction agreement (VA) that was in place between 1999 and 2010 in South Korea. We argue that in South Korea's distinct regulatory context, participation in a public voluntary program (PVP), a VA, is a manifestation of participant entities' varied motivations as well as regulatory and social-normative pressures that arise from the institutionalization of the VA program. In addition, aligning the PVP with other policy programs such as eco-labelling program was found to have provided additional incentives for adoption while public ownership, socioeconomic status and environmental management capacity of targeted entities were significant factors. Thus, this study analyzes changes in the motives of participant entities over the course of the program's maturation and demonstrates how government and industries adopt and manage a PVP for policy learning and strategic regulation in the area of energy efficiency management and GHG reduction. •The mechanism of adopting a public voluntary program changes over time.•Early participants join a program in response to potential regulatory pressure.•Late participants join in response to increasing social-normative pressure.•Participants join with the aims of regulatory response and policy learning.