Sustainability governance

“Promoting sustainability – this requires new, non-hierarchical forms of control that involve societal actors” is a widespread claim. But how successful are these participative or self-governing forms actually compared to classical governing by the state? This study explores this question by means of an innovative approach. First of all, it conceptualises governance and different forms of control. Focusing on the courses of action undertaken by the actors affected, it then presents a way to grasp the societal changes induced by governance and their contribution to sustainability. Guided by this theoretical framework, the study explores the field of Swiss energy policy via qualitative case studies that represent the range of different governance modes (from hierarchical, public-private and interactive modes up to self-governance). Its empirical results highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the forms of control and focus on their situational interplay in promoting sustainability.