The Politics of Energy

Hughes, Llewelyn; Lipscy, Phillip Y.

doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-072211-143240

Cited by 151 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…16 Political science and international relations theories were productive in explaining shifts in energy systems following the oil crises of the 1970s and the 1980s. The interest of political scientists in energy declined in the 1990s following the decline in oil prices and have not recovered despite calls for its renewal [139,148]. Challenges of contemporary energy transitions are more complex than in the 1970s with respect to the timescale, the sectors involved, and the type of societies affected.…”

Section: Comprehensive Policy Change Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating techno-economic, socio-technical and political perspectives on national energy transitions: A meta-theoretical framework

Cherp

Vinichenko²,

Jewell

et al. 2018

Energy Research & Social Science

427

216

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A B S T R A C TEconomic development, technological innovation, and policy change are especially prominent factors shaping energy transitions. Therefore explaining energy transitions requires combining insights from disciplines investigating these factors. The existing literature is not consistent in identifying these disciplines nor proposing how they can be combined. We conceptualize national energy transitions as a co-evolution of three types of systems: energy flows and markets, energy technologies, and energy-related policies. The focus on the three types of systems gives rise to three perspectives on national energy transitions: techno-economic with its roots in energy systems analysis and various domains of economics; socio-technical with its roots in sociology of technology, STS, and evolutionary economics; and political with its roots in political science. We use the three perspectives as an organizing principle to propose a meta-theoretical framework for analyzing national energy transitions. Following Elinor Ostrom's approach, the proposed framework explains national energy transitions through a nested conceptual map of variables and theories. In comparison with the existing meta-theoretical literature, the three perspectives framework elevates the role of political science since policies are likely to be increasingly prominent in shaping 21st century energy transitions.

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Section: Comprehensive Policy Change Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating techno-economic, socio-technical and political perspectives on national energy transitions: A meta-theoretical framework

Cherp

Vinichenko²,

Jewell

et al. 2018

Energy Research & Social Science

427

216

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In political science, a recent review described the subfield of energy politics as "relatively underdeveloped" (Hughes & Lipscy 2013). Most research dates to the 1970s-1980s and focuses on international political economy and oil geopolitics.…”

Section: Energy Transition Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A large literature examines the technical, economic, and policy aspects of energy transitions (Smil, 2010). However, the political dynamics have received less attention (Meadowcroft, 2009;Hughes & Lipscy, 2013;Stokes, 2013). Since transformative energy policies threaten incumbent industries and impose substantial costs (Breetz, Mildenberger & Stokes, 2017), enacting and sustaining policies requires considerable political support.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Politics in the U.S. energy transition: Case studies of solar, wind, biofuels and electric vehicles policy

2018

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Abstract:We examine the politics of US state and federal policy supporting wind and solar in the electricity sector and biofuels and electric vehicles in the transportation sector. For each technology, we provide two policy case studies: the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) and state Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) for wind; state Net Energy Metering (NEM) and the federal investment tax credit (ITC) for solar; federal excise tax incentives and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for biofuels; and California's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and federal tax incentives for electric vehicles. Each case study traces the enactment and later revision of the policy, typically over a period of twentyfive years. We use these eight longitudinal case studies to identify common patterns in the politics of US renewable energy policy. Although electricity and transportation involve different actors and technologies, we find similar patterns across these sectors: immature technology is underestimated or misunderstood; large energy bills provide windows of opportunity for enactment; once enacted, policies are extended incrementally; there is increasing politicization as mature technology threatens incumbents.Acknowledgments: Thank you to Peter Dauvergne for feedback on earlier drafts.

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“…The role of these factors in relation to energy innovation dynamics, energy transition, and sustainable development has been acknowledged by several contributions both in the policy and in the economics realms (Anadón 2012;Friedrichs and Inderwildi 2013;Hughes and Lipscy 2013;IEA 2015a). More than other sectors, energy can be dominated by large incumbent companies and utilities, which often seek to influence policy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The smaller marginal effect on energy R&D intensity might reflect a different relevance of political economy factors within the energy sector itself. 17 As explained by Hughes and Lipscy (2013), power markets tend to be more concentrated within domestic markets whereas many oil and gas companies are vertically integrated and international in scope. Therefore, the political economy factors that matter for electricity are likely to differ from those relevant for the oil and gas industry, which are included in our definition of energy R&D. Factors such as lobbying are therefore more relevant for the more inward-oriented sectors, such as power.…”

Section: Role Of Resource Distribution Market-sizementioning

confidence: 99%

The Political Economy of Clean Energy Transitions

Arndt¹,

Miller²,

Tarp³

et al. 2017

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Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only. Oxford disclaims any responsibility for the materials contained in any third party website referenced in this work. Terms of use: Documents inIt is permitted to reuse, share and adapt this work, subject to the following terms:Attribution -appropriate credit is given to the original work, the copyright holder and creator, and any changes made to the work are properly indicated.Non-Commercial -the work, or any adaptation of the work, may not be used, distributed or reproduced in any format, by any means, for commercial purposes.Share-Alike -the work, or any adaptation of the work is distributed under the same licence terms as the original, with a URL link provided to the licence.Some rights reserved. ForewordSustainable energy transitions involve the shift of resources between competing industrial sectors and political constituencies. Stakeholders in this process have varying degrees of political and economic power, and understanding how political economic factors influence clean energy transitions is crucial to effective policy formulation and facilitating transitions to sustainable energy systems. In partnership with the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA), UNU-WIDER gathered together a substantial group of experts from around the world-from both developed and developing countries-to launch a multidisciplinary research project seeking to contribute to our enhanced understanding of these factors. The project sought to facilitate an energy transition that will generate very large environmental and economic benefits, particularly over the long run. The beneficiaries of clean energy transitions are highly diffuse and include future generations not yet born. This book is the distilled essence of the cross-cutting academic project. I express my sincere and professional appreciation to the large group of expert authors for their dedication to the project, and to my fellow editors in helping bring together the book for readers to enjoy and absorb along with the findings and policy implications.

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The Politics of Energy

Cited by 151 publications

References 79 publications

Integrating techno-economic, socio-technical and political perspectives on national energy transitions: A meta-theoretical framework

Integrating techno-economic, socio-technical and political perspectives on national energy transitions: A meta-theoretical framework

Politics in the U.S. energy transition: Case studies of solar, wind, biofuels and electric vehicles policy

The Political Economy of Clean Energy Transitions

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