Is it all about collaborative governance? Alternative ways of understanding the success of energy regions

This paper calls into question a main assumption of governance research that the success of regional energy transitions depends to a large extent on collaborative governance structures. The role of network-based governance in two regions, Lüchow-Dannenberg and Prignitz, is analysed. Alternative ways of understanding the success of energy transitions are discussed with the help of three strands of critical governance literature: debates about 'socio-materiality', the often neglected role of power and key individuals. Especially power and the 'material' dimension of energy regions may help to explain interregional differences in the success of energy governance.