Understanding undergraduate students’ perceptions of dynamic pricing policies: An exploratory study of two pilot deliberative pollings (DPs) in Guangzhou, China and Kyoto, Japan

Abstract

Smart grids (SGs) are being deployed as a transformational technology in energy transitions. However, negative consumer responses to both smart meters and new pricing systems indicate that building public acceptance of these transitions is critically important. Deliberative Pollings (DPs) offer the potential to effectively integrate public perceptions into energy transition decision-making. Most deliberative governance studies focus on western countries and very few examine the Asian context. This paper presents an exploratory study of undergraduate students' perceptions of dynamic pricing options in two pilot DPs conducted in the cities of Guangzhou and Kyoto. The study indicates that deliberative processes yield mixed outcomes in changing participants' choice of pricing options. While many welcomed new pricing options, a significant number supported status quo options. Second, the normative mechanisms and outcomes of deliberative participation seem to apply in the Asian context. DP appears to enhance participants' acceptance of complex and sophisticated pricing options. Dialogic processes enhanced the participants' ability to understand complex issues and weigh up trade-offs when comparing options. Third, national level contextual differences associated with public distrust and familiarity with market logic may explain the differences in responses between Chinese and Japanese participants. We argue that complex and controversial energy decision-making needs to be supported by deliberative participatory processes to enable citizens to make informed and considered choices.

From consultation toward co-production in science and policy: A critical systematic review of participatory climate and energy initiatives

“…Concerning the socio-economic divide, almost 80% of all records were initiatives from the Global North (GN), while cases from the Global South (GS) were much less, and comparisons across the GN and GS minute. This illustrates that most literature emerging on energy transitions indeed originates from a western perspective, which may overlook certain realities on institutions, regulations, energy profiles and more in other contexts; yielding major knowledge gaps on how transitions might materialize in the GS [77,78]. Moreover, in the GS the notion of justice implies collective connotations and power struggles [79], whereas in the GN the focal attention is more on the individual across both mitigation and adaptation literature [80].…”

“…Women are focal participants in 4 out of the 183 records (see [71,77,79,101]), highlighting the importance of their participation and the uniqueness of their views, that differ from their male counterparts given their different experiences [102]. In two of those records, they are the only participants in the process, discussing how to build on traditional knowledge for making Pacific Islands more resilient and climate policies more equitable and inclusive [72] or convening women from different backgrounds to share their knowledge to foster women's leadership in climate solutions and identify potential barriers and opportunities [101].…”

“…Looking at children and young people, they are also considered a differentiated actor category in 6 out of the 183 records, targeted specifically as students in 4 of them (see [67,77,[103][104][105][106]). The inclusion of these groups as policy actors resulted in very positive effects for the research process, yielding more creative results that were radically transformative in contrast with more business-asusual solutions proposed by adults [103].…”

Evaluating deliberative participation from a social learning perspective: A case study of the 2012 National Energy Deliberative Polling in post‐Fukushima Japan

“…Deliberative participation can take place in a variety of formats, which include citizen juries, deliberative workshops, deliberative mappings, and deliberation pollings (Burgess et al, 2007; Fish, Burgess, Chilvers, Footitt, & Turner, 2011; Mah et al, 2018). This advanced form of participatory approach has been increasingly adopted by governments to address complex public policy issues that span democracy, freedom of speech, government budgetary planning, and energy (CDD, 2020).…”

Demand side management opportunities, framework, and implications for sustainable development in resource-rich countries: Case study Qatar

“…In the literature, there are various studies exploring the possible impact of specific DSM applications. For the case of China, Mah et al revealed the perception of people towards dynamic electricity pricing (Mah et al, 2018). In another study, Wang et al calculated energy savings under possible price-based DSM scheme (Y. .…”