Energy justice and energy democracy: Separated twins, rival concepts or just buzzwords?

Osička, Jan; Szulecki, Kacper; Jenkins, Kirsten E.H.

doi:10.1016/j.erss.2023.103266

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Costs and benefits of the transition must be distributed fairly. Moreover, the transition must be socially inclusive (Capetola, 2008;Osička et al, 2023). Do all interested parties, not least those who risk being hit the hardest of climate change and climate policies, get the opportunity to participate and make their voice heard in the policy processes?…”

Section: Climate Governance and Democracymentioning

confidence: 99%

The ‘Nasty Politics’ of Swedish Climate Governance: A Threat to the Climate and Democracy

von Malmborg

2024

Preprint

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Sweden has long been hailed as a role model in climate policy. But the new right-wing government supported by a far-right populist party is undertaking a paradigm shift in Swedish climate policy and governance. This paper critically analyses this paradigm shift and its impacts on legitimacy, accountability and justice. These are democratic norms important in the analysis of a just transition to climate neutrality. Severe democratic deficits of the policy process and the policies proposed and adopted are identified, suggesting ‘nasty politics’ characterised by populist, divisive, and contentious rhetoric that entrenches polarization and us/them narratives. Climate scientists and the climate justice movement are discriminated in the policy process, the latter also being accused of terrorism and seen as a threat to democracy by the government. The deficits are partly explained by the neo-corporatist political system of Sweden and the dominance of the (neo)liberal discourse of ecological modernization in Swedish environmental policy, but primarily with the ongoing process of autocratization driven by anti-democratic far-right populist parties throughout Europe. The anti-democratic climate policy reforms in Sweden are foreboding an unwelcome development in the EU given the boost of far-right populist parties in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament in June 2024.

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Section: Climate Governance and Democracymentioning

confidence: 99%

The ‘Nasty Politics’ of Swedish Climate Governance: A Threat to the Climate and Democracy

von Malmborg

2024

Preprint

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“…The costs and benefits of the transition must be distributed fairly, alleviating poverty, and sustaining and enhancing human freedom. Moreover, the transition must be socially inclusive [17,34]. Do all interested parties, not least those who risk being hit the hardest by climate change and climate policies, have the opportunity to participate and make their voices heard in the policy processes?…”

Section: Governance For a Just Transitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies and Impacts of Policy Entrepreneurs: Ideology, Democracy, and the Quest for a Just Transition to Climate Neutrality

von Malmborg

2024

Sustainability

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The concept of policy entrepreneurs has gained increasing attention in studies of policy change, including climate policy and governance. It foregrounds the role of agency in understanding policy change. However, agency of policy entrepreneurs in the policy process is political and conceals the power that shapes how public problems and policies are framed and defined. Thus, policy entrepreneurs should be confronted with the challenge of generating legitimacy, accountability, and justice in their actions and the implementation of their targeted policy change. Drawing on political–philosophical theories of liberal and deliberative democracy as well as environmental and ecological democracy this paper outlines a conceptual framework for critical analytical as well as normative research on strategies and impacts of policy entrepreneurs on democratic governance, primarily in climate policy but also more generally. Empirical research on the strategies and impacts of policy entrepreneurs in recent policymaking on climate change mitigation in the EU and Sweden identifies several deficits related to the democratic principles of legitimacy, accountability, and justice. It is found that policy entrepreneurs from different social spheres use cultural–institutional entrepreneurship to influence beliefs and perceptions on problems and policies. In addition, it is found that public sector policy entrepreneurs use structural entrepreneurship on ideological grounds to change existing power relations in climate governance. In all, the paper brings ideology and politics into research on policy entrepreneurs. It is suggested that not only the strategies used, but also the ideologies of the actors that use them, are decisive for the impacts of policy entrepreneurs, and thus, whether their advocacy will adhere to democratic norms and facilitate or hamper a just transition to climate neutrality and sustainability. The paper ends with proposals on how policy entrepreneurs can act more democratically, how to deal with populist policy entrepreneurs wanting to erode democracy, and conditions for climate justice movements to take responsibility and act in a more entrepreneurial way.

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“…Schiffer [35] advocates overcoming energy scarcity through 'collective capabilities' and power sharing, suggesting that collaborative energy management can enhance democratic engagement and reduce energy disparities. Osička et al [36] critically analyze energy justice and energy democracy to determine whether these concepts are merely buzzwords or represent distinct, potentially conflicting frameworks. They emphasize the integration of democratic ideals in energy policies for fair and inclusive distribution.…”

Section: Linking Between Energy Poverty and Democracy Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Poverty and Democratic Values: A European Perspective

Kwilinski,

Lyulyov,

Pimonenko

2024

Energies

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This paper explores the complex relationship between energy poverty and the maintenance of democratic values within the European Union (EU), suggesting that energy poverty not only impacts economic stability and health outcomes but also poses significant challenges to democratic engagement and equity. To measure energy poverty, a composite index is developed using the entropy method, which surpasses traditional measures focused solely on access to energy or its developmental implications. To assess the level of democratic governance in EU countries, the voice and accountability index (VEA), which is part of the World Governance Indicators compiled by the World Bank, is utilized. By analyzing EU data from 2006 to 2022, the findings suggest that a 1% improvement in VEA quality, represented by a coefficient of 0.122, is correlated with a notable improvement in the energy poverty index. This suggests that the EU should focus on enhancing transparency and public participation in energy decision-making, along with ensuring accountability in policy implementation. The research also differentiates between full and flawed democracies, noting that tailored approaches are needed. In full democracies, leveraging economic prosperity and trade is crucial due to their significant positive impacts on the energy poverty index. In contrast, in flawed democracies, enhancing governance and accountability is more impactful, as evidenced by a higher coefficient of 0.193. Strengthening legal and regulatory frameworks, improving regulatory quality, and ensuring public engagement in governance could substantially mitigate energy poverty in these contexts. In addition, this paper demonstrates that this relationship is influenced by factors such as income inequality, energy intensity, and trade openness.

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Energy justice and energy democracy: Separated twins, rival concepts or just buzzwords?

Cited by 14 publications

References 29 publications

The ‘Nasty Politics’ of Swedish Climate Governance: A Threat to the Climate and Democracy

The ‘Nasty Politics’ of Swedish Climate Governance: A Threat to the Climate and Democracy

Strategies and Impacts of Policy Entrepreneurs: Ideology, Democracy, and the Quest for a Just Transition to Climate Neutrality

Energy Poverty and Democratic Values: A European Perspective

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