국내 재생에너지 전력 지원 정책수단의 변화 분석: 정책의 패칭 또는 층화

Abstract

To expand the market for renewable energy electricity, three main types of policy instruments are widely used across countries: Feed-in Tariffs (FIT), Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), and auction systems. In South Korea, these three types of policy instruments have been implemented alternately or concurrently over time. This study applies the policy mix theory of Howlett et al. to analyze these changes. By examining the mechanisms through which complementary and offsetting effects operate among the policy instruments, the study investigates whether the policy mix for supporting renewable energy electricity constitutes deliberate policy patching through policy design, or if it reflects policy layering resulting from the lock-in of existing policies. The analysis shows that the various policy mixes over different periods clearly demonstrate complementary effects among the instruments, supporting the interpretation of policy patching through deliberate design. However, frequent changes in policy also reveal the limitations of a purely design-oriented approach. In such cases, the policy mix must be partly understood as the outcome of political processes and the influence of stakeholders, leading to policy layering. Nevertheless, even when emphasizing the importance of political processes in policy selection, it remains crucial for policy designers to create policy mixes that maximize complementary effects and minimize offsetting effects among policy instruments.