| Energy is the lifeblood of a nation,and energy policy involving long-term plan of national development.As one of the currently important energy,nuclear energy has long drawn the most attention because of its stable energy supply,high efficiency in reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as the difficulty of nuclear waste disposal and safety risks.After more than half a century of development,civil nuclear power has become an important pillar of the national power supply system in Germany – German nuclear power generation accounted for nearly 23% of the total national electricity generation.In the year 2010,Germany approved plans to extend the lifespan of the country’s 17 nuclear power plants by an average of 12 years.Meanwhile,nuclear energy that was considered to be a “bridge technology” has been incorporated into the German government’s Energy Concept long-term strategy for future energy supply.But shortly after the catastrophe in Fukushima in the following year,German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel commanded to suspend nuclear power station extension plans right away,and announced a “three-month moratorium” while each plant was given a thorough safety check.In June 2011,the German Bundestag passed the amendment of the Atomic Energy Act which says the remaining plants will be phased-out in a staggered manner until 2022.So,Germany will be the first major industrialized country without nuclear power.People cannot help but wonder why Germany has taken a U-turn on nuclear energy policy after about eight months within the same term of office?Based on U.S.policy scientist John W.Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework,this dissertation will reconstruct the formation process of nuclear exit policy in Germany,explain various direct and indirect participants in the decision-making process as well as the way they operate,analyze the mechanism between the problem stream,the policy stream and the political stream.This article suggests that: ⑴ the policy window which promotes nuclear exit policy-making lies in the Fukushima nuclear disaster causing nation-wide collective anxiety over nuclear power station security in Germany;⑵ policy entrepreneurs spreading in the three streams mentioned above seize opportunities to promote streams coupling;⑶ the news media plays the important role as booster for German nuclear exit policy issuing.Furthermore,the theoretical shortcoming in the Multiple Streams Framework has been searched out in the course of case analysis: the full independence of three streams has been challenged.Additionally,a new characteristic of policy window in this German case which resembles magnetic effect has been reflected that Fukushima disaster led nuclear exit to become nearly unanimous appeal from all social circles in Germany.Moreover,the theoretical expression of the Multiple Streams Framework under our national conditions has been weakened.Absorbed the lessens in German nuclear exit policy making process,this study points out some inspirations which are beneficial to our scientific and democratic public policy-decision making: ⑴ democratic decision-making first;⑵ ensuring that the mass media plays an active role;⑶ having recourse to the wisdom outside the government. |
