Power Failures: Metagoverning a revival nuclear power in Britain

The British government is attempting to oversee a transition to a low carbon electricity generation industry by reviving nuclear power. This will be achieved through metagovernance; the use of state power and capability to gain influence over networks. This paper considers the barriers that the British government might encounter by analysing its metagovernance efforts within the context of a dynamic, evolving socio-technical regime. It is shown that attempts to metagovern a nuclear revival are likely to fail. The paper concludes by considering possible explanations for this failure and suggests an agenda for future research.