ABSTRACT
Decreasing costs of distributed generation and storage, alongside increasing network charges, provide consumers with a growing incentive to defect from the main grid. On a large scale, this may lead to price inflation, hindrance of the energy transition, and even a "death spiral" - a domino effect of disconnections. Here, we develop a game-theoretic framework that demonstrates how conflicting interests among consumers - an aspect that previous studies overlooked - may lead to complex dynamics of grid defection. Our results reveal that although individual consumers benefit from staying connected at the distribution level, the defection of small energy communities from the grid may lead to the defection of larger communities. We also demonstrate that centralized design approaches may lead to inefficient outcomes, e.g., redundant grid expansions, because of the inherent inability to predict potential defections. However, we indicate how, by properly incorporating defection considerations into the grid's design, social welfare can be improved.
ABSTRACT
Obstacles to collaborative public health frameworks such as Health in All Policies continue to emerge. Partnership-based public health programs present opportunities to study how public servants and practitioners address these barriers in real time. To this end, we utilized "Middle-Out," a socio-technical analytical approach that highlights the importance of Middle Actors-stakeholders positioned between policymakers and grassroots-to policy diffusion, innovation and collaboration in public health. We conducted participatory observation in administrative settings of Israel's National Program to Promote Active, Healthy Lifestyle, 30 stakeholder interviews and document analysis. We examined two dimensions of impact from the Middle-Out: Directions of Influence-Middle-Up, Middle-Down and Sideways, and Modes of Influence-Enabling, Mediating and Aggregating. Through Middle-Out's lens, our analysis transcends visible benchmarks such as legislation and macro-level resource-allocation, focusing, instead, on elusive administrative spaces within which Middle Actors shape policies, steer funding and facilitate continuity. Incorporating Middle-Out into public health's conceptual toolbox, we conclude, can improve understanding of complex public health policy arenas, increase recognition of critical socio-technical changemakers and catalyze more effective design of policy tools and strategies that specifically harness Middle Actors' strengths and qualities.
