dc.description.abstract | The need for a greater understanding of the motivations behind nations’ effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions forms the backdrop of this thesis. Awareness of these motivations could possibly pave the way for a deeper understanding of what drives a nation to help solve collective action problems, in this particular case global climate change. Specifically, the thesis seeks to explain why the German government chose to promote a major investment in renewable energy through the ambitious project Energiewende. It focuses on structural conditions and incentives that may have led Germany to transform its national energy sector. The thesis does so by developing two hypotheses drawn from established theory. It concludes that Germany's decision to initiate Energiewende was not being forced by any transnational institution with the authority to impose binding regulations on energy policies. Therefore, it seems likely that Germany did not exclusively initiate a transformation of its national energy sector for the best of the community, but also wanted to pursue national interests through its energy policy strategy. The thesis argues that Germany’s decision to initiate Energiewende stems from a strategic interest in promoting Germany’s relative status in the international hierarchy. The conclusion, however, is that Germany’s willingness to transform its national energy sector is a direct consequence of the German population’s desire to end energy recovery using nuclear power and fossil fuels. | nb_NO |