Measuring discursive lock-in with the Narrative Policy Framework: an analysis of public debates on fossil gas in Germany
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Authors
Author (Corporation)
Publication date
2025
Type of student thesis
Course of study
Type
01A - Journal article
Editors
Editor (Corporation)
Supervisor
Parent work
Der moderne Staat
Special issue
DOI of the original publication
Link
Series
Series number
Volume
18
Issue / Number
1
Pages / Duration
185-206
Patent number
Publisher / Publishing institution
Barbara Budrich
Place of publication / Event location
Edition
Version
Programming language
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Practice partner / Client
Abstract
This article measures the phenomenon of discursive lock-in via narratives, as conceptualized by the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF). Discursive lock-in underlies other forms of carbon lock-in that hinder societies from phasing out fossil fuels. Thus, being able to assess the characteristics of discursive lock-in is fundamental for its destabilization. In applying the proposed measurement to German newspaper articles on fossil gas that appeared both before and after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the analysis shows that although attention towards fossil gas rose, the discursive lock-in got reinforced, with the proportion of narratives not questioning gas usage remaining stable and critical narratives bemoaning the building of new fossil fuel infrastructure. These findings highlight the resilience of fossil-friendly narratives even in the face of EU-level policy shifts such as the Green Deal and REPowerEU. The combination of discursive lock-in and the NPF proves to be fruitful and opens avenues for future research.
Keywords
Fossil Gas, Discursive Lock-In, Narrative Policy Framework, Germany, Energy Transition
Event
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ISBN
ISSN
1865-7192
2196-1395
2196-1395
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
Yes
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Published
Review
Peer review of the complete publication
Open access category
Closed
License
Citation
Künzler, J. (2025). Measuring discursive lock-in with the Narrative Policy Framework: an analysis of public debates on fossil gas in Germany. Der Moderne Staat, 18(1), 185–206. https://doi.org/10.3224/dms.v18i1.10