The use of forecasts in energy policy: An application of rule systems theory to the comparative analysis of public policy processes

This article shows the application of rule systems theory to the comparative analysis of policy processes. Rule systems theory is particularly useful for studying social organization and its relation to social action. In this article, it is used for comparing the use of energy demand forecasts in the policy process in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and their role in the debate between established policy and its critics. Differences are explained in terms of differences in the rule systems for policy organization: the Dutch corporatist rule system as opposed to the British pluralist rule system. Corporatist rules in the Netherlands lead to an emphasis on commonly shared reality definitions, disciplined behavior on the part of the critics, and effective negotiations, in contrast to the British context, where these features are absent.