Mind the Gap: A Policy Gap Analysis of Programmes Promoting Timber Construction in Nordic Countries

Martyna Maniak-Huesser, Lars G. F. Tellnes and Edwin Zea Escamilla
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Martyna Maniak-Huesser: CFA Society Switzerland, 6300 Zug, Switzerland
Lars G. F. Tellnes: Department of Economics, Innovation and Society, Østfold University College, 1757 Halden, Norway
Edwin Zea Escamilla: Centre for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Zürich, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-14

Abstract: The construction sector is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and consumers of energy, making it one of the most relevant sectors when planning reduction strategies and policies. The use of timber in the built environment has been identified as a key strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction sector. In this paper, we use the concept of policy gap analysis to identified underlying challenges in the implementation of timber construction on three Nordic countries, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. We carried out a series of semi-structured interviews with experts from the countries of study. The interviews came from industry, government, and construction companies. The use of the gap analysis approach was useful not only to identify areas that are being targeted but also those areas that were not covered by any programme at the time of study. The results showed that the studied programmes have a large level of coverage and congruence with the identified challenges. Moreover, they also showed that challenges related to fire safety regulations and insurance policies for timber buildings still need to be addressed, whereas the challenges of high price variability and lack of promotion are being addressed by multiple programmes. With this work, we have seen how timber construction is gaining momentum and how the challenges have been addressed systematically.

Keywords: construction; interviews; environmental impact; programmes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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