Navigating emergent effects in off-grid systems: Ostrom's design principles and rural energy policy implications

Abstract

The study explores the resilience of Ostrom Design Principles (ODPs) in the governance of rural community off-grid systems as complex adaptive socio-technical systems displaying emergent behavior, and whose environment is constantly changing and unpredictable. Applying Systems thinking and feedback loop analysis, this study utilizes Gwere-Luzira, a rural Sub-Saharan African community off-grid project, as a case study to investigate the complexity of interactions between the institutional and physical infrastructures of off-grid systems, their external environment, the influence of people-culture on their design and functioning, and the resulting emergent effects stemming from these interactions. It identifies emergent effects, such as poor infrastructure access, limited local economic prospects, and community disengagement, as challenges to the robustness of the ODP framework, hindering off-grid system sustainability. The analysis maps out reinforcing feedback loops to trace perceived governance failures from their root causes to cascading impacts across subsystems, while proposing balancing loops to counteract negative spirals and enhance project sustainability. The study recommends integrating ODPs with broader strategies to address external challenges outside of host community control and ensure the long-term viability of community-owned off-grid systems.