Topic of the thesis: Sector Coupling as Subsystem Interaction: Electric vehicle policy in Germany and Italy between energy and transport policy.

Abstract: Technical innovations not only shape societal developments but also influence political structures and decision-making processes. Sector coupling – energy engineering, energy economy and the respective infrastructure connecting electricity, heat, mobility and industrial processes with the aim of decarbonization - is one of these innovations fostered by the ongoing global transition towards sustainability. Electric mobility is one very interesting subfield of sector coupling for a host of reasons. First, the technology has been in use for a very long time but did not have much relevance to personal transportation for nearly a century until the late 2000s. Second, the technology is associated with new infrastructure requirements, new usage models, and even new business models. After all, various subsystems that have already existed independently of one another for a very long time are dealing with the issue. It is therefore considered  to be a boundary-spanning issue.  My research project investigates processes of subsystem interaction. How do the subsystems of car traffic and energy coordinate? Which network configurations and actor strategies are of particular importance for the interaction? How is the power relationship of the different subsystems to be assessed? Behind these questions lies the substantive interest in how the relatively strong structures of the automotive, supplier and petroleum industries in Italy and Germany are coping with these technological and market changes. The process of subsystem interaction is also interesting from a theoretical perspective. Although theories of policy integration deal with the issue in a structured way, other widely accepted approaches dealing with policy subsystems (e.g. the Advocacy Coalition Framework or the Punctuated Equilibrium Theory) have so far hardly provided convincing solutions for boundary spanning issues and therefore require theoretical refinement.

Research interests: Transport policy – energy policy – electric vehicle policy – policy process theories – policy integration - policy subsystems – subsystem interaction – boundary-spanning issues.

Graduated from: University of Konstanz (BA) – Osnabrück University (MA).

Degrees obtained: BA in Politics and Public Administration – MA in Political Science: Democratic Governance and Civil Society.

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