Different strands of research point to the relevance of coalitions for explaining outcomes of decision-making processes. A framework tailored to investigate this is the advocacy coalition framework (ACF). Little research has so far tested the relative explanatory potential of ACF against rival frameworks in the EU’s climate and energy policy, although EU policy processes are very well suited for this framework according to its creator Sabatier (1998). Moreover, climate and energy policy is a crucial case for ACF since it both originally and ever since has been applied frequently to this policy area. The paper will test ACF against rival theories: liberal intergovernmentalism (LI) and historical institutionalism (HI), and hypothesizes that ACF under certain conditions carries explanatory potential. The inferences will be based on rigorous process tracing conducted by interviewing 30 key persons within the EU bodies, key governments, interest organizations and NGOs combined with extensive document studies.
