| Summary: | Set in the context of the problems the UK has experienced in achieving effective economic policies, focusing primarily on the role of the civil service, the thesis examines the development and implementation of energy conservation policy, in the UK, from the mid-1970s until April 1992, concentrating mainly on the 1980s. Changes since April 1992 and the prospects for energy conservation in the remainder of the 1990s are considered briefly in the final chapter and conclusion. The thesis uses energy conservation as a case study to explore general theories of policy development and implementation. Comparisons are made with Japan and Denmark. In the case of Japan, the comparison is set in the context of Japanese economic success and the role of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. In the case of Denmark, the context is the planning system and the role of local government. The thesis examines the relative importance of systems of administration and other factors including: prevailing ideological orthodoxies; the roles of policy communities and networks. The title - "Procedure over purpose" - reflects several themes within the thesis including: the differences between procedure and purpose governed states; the relevance of the 1980s and 1990s civil service reforms to procedure or purpose driven policy areas. A further important theme is efficiency, both in terms of the emphasis on efficiency in civil service reforms and because of a change of terminology from energy conservation to energy efficiency during the period under study. Conclusions are drawn on the extent to which development and implementation of energy conservation policy in the UK has been governed more by procedure than a sense of purpose; how far this differs from other countries (primarily Japan and Denmark); its effect on the UK's achievement of energy savings up to the late 1980s; and the implications for policy success or failure.
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