Legitimacy and Acceleration in Green Energy Initiatives and Transitions

LEGIT studies the role of democratic participation and involvement in the legitimisation of green energy projects in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

While democratic participation is considered necessary for ensuring the legitimacy of green energy projects, there is increasing evidence that the capacity for democratic involvement to create legitimacy is under pressure from the need for increased speed, scale and scope that is at the heart of an accelerated transition.

LEGIT will examine the role of democratic engagement and citizen-involvement in legitimising green transition initiatives, and addresses the following research question: Considering the tensions created by the acceleration phase of the green transition, what role does, and can, democratic engagement in various forms play in the legitimisation of green transition initiatives?LEGIT aims to combine insights from studies of political legitimacy and democracy with that of sustainability transitions.

The project employs a comparative research strategy and will combine case study analyses of democratic involvement in ongoing or planned green energy initiatives across the Nordic region, with a national-level analysis of policies and systemic conditions, alongside strategies and actions of key actors.

LEGIT will use a qualitative comparative analysis to help understand how different forms of democratic engagement can explain the perceived legitimacy of green transition projects across the Nordic region.