IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v189y2024ipbs1364032123008742.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Political economy of low-carbon electricity: Governance effects across 198 countries

Author

Listed:
  • Evensen, Darrick
  • Sovacool, Benjamin K.

Abstract

Which countries best foster low-carbon electricity transitions – authoritarian regimes or democratic societies? Crucial for understanding how transitions unfold is identifying contextual factors conditioning propensity to adopt specific forms of energy production. This research assesses the relationship between quality of governance within 198 countries and domestic electricity production from all major energy sources, across the years 2002–2020. Governance quality is measured via a range of comprehensive, internationally recognised metrics, focusing predominantly on the World Bank's worldwide governance indicators. The data reveal that a future, decarbonised electricity system via wind, solar, and/or nuclear appears most likely in countries where the traditions and institutions by which authority is exercised support good governance. Over the last two decades, the association between electricity from solar and wind and good governance has progressively strengthened globally. Beyond governance, national measures of economic (in)equality are strongly related to electricity production from nuclear and hydropower. These findings offer a point of departure for assessing how governance systems might predispose countries to particular energy choices.

Suggested Citation

  • Evensen, Darrick & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2024. "Political economy of low-carbon electricity: Governance effects across 198 countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PB).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:189:y:2024:i:pb:s1364032123008742
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.114016
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032123008742
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114016?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Van de Graaf, Thijs & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2014. "Thinking big: Politics, progress, and security in the management of Asian and European energy megaprojects," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 16-27.
    2. Foran, Tira & Kiik, Laur & Hatt, Sullivan & Fullbrook, David & Dawkins, Alice & Walker, Simon & Chen, Yun, 2017. "Large hydropower and legitimacy: a policy regime analysis, applied to Myanmar," MPRA Paper 80944, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Austin Lord, 2016. "Citizens of a hydropower nation: Territory and agency at the frontiers of hydropower development in Nepal," Economic Anthropology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 3(1), pages 145-160, January.
    4. Goldthau, Andreas & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2012. "The uniqueness of the energy security, justice, and governance problem," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 232-240.
    5. Rentier, Gerrit & Lelieveldt, Herman & Kramer, Gert Jan, 2019. "Varieties of coal-fired power phase-out across Europe," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 620-632.
    6. Paul C. Stern & Benjamin K. Sovacool & Thomas Dietz, 2016. "Towards a science of climate and energy choices," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 6(6), pages 547-555, June.
    7. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Valentine, Scott Victor, 2010. "The socio-political economy of nuclear energy in China and India," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 3803-3813.
    8. Breetz, Hanna & Mildenberger, Matto & Stokes, Leah, 2018. "The political logics of clean energy transitions," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(4), pages 492-522, December.
    9. Dagnachew, Anteneh G. & Hof, Andries F. & Roelfsema, Mark R. & van Vuuren, Detlef P., 2020. "Actors and governance in the transition toward universal electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    10. Weber, Jeremy G., 2014. "A decade of natural gas development: The makings of a resource curse?," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 168-183.
    11. Schaffer, Lena Maria & Bernauer, Thomas, 2014. "Explaining government choices for promoting renewable energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 15-27.
    12. Paul G Munro, 2021. "Energy political ecologies in the South Pacific: the politics of energy transitions in Vanuatu," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 14(2), pages 361-378.
    13. Biehl, J. & Köppel, J. & Grimm, M., 2021. "Creating space for wind energy in a polycentric governance setting," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    14. Agnolucci, Paolo, 2007. "Wind electricity in Denmark: A survey of policies, their effectiveness and factors motivating their introduction," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 11(5), pages 951-963, June.
    15. Andy Stirling, 2014. "Transforming Power: social science and the politics of energy choices," SPRU Working Paper Series 2014-03, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    16. Sanne Vammen Larsen & Anne Merrild Hansen & Ivar Lyhne & Sara Bjørn Aaen & Eva Ritter & Helle Nielsen, 2015. "Social Impact Assessment in Europe: A Study of Social Impacts in Three Danish Cases," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 17(04), pages 1-24, December.
    17. Trencher, Gregory & Healy, Noel & Hasegawa, Koichi & Asuka, Jusen, 2019. "Discursive resistance to phasing out coal-fired electricity: Narratives in Japan's coal regime," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 782-796.
    18. Stephenson, J.R. & Sovacool, B.K. & Inderberg, T.H.J., 2021. "Energy cultures and national decarbonisation pathways," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    19. Eberhard Rothfuß & Festus Boamah, 2020. "Politics and (Self)-Organisation of Electricity System Transitions in a Global North–South Perspective," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(3), pages 162-172.
    20. Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2011. "An international comparison of four polycentric approaches to climate and energy governance," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3832-3844, June.
    21. Lucy Baker & Peter Newell & Jon Phillips, 2014. "The Political Economy of Energy Transitions: The Case of South Africa," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(6), pages 791-818, December.
    22. Rogge, Karoline S. & Reichardt, Kristin, 2016. "Policy mixes for sustainability transitions: An extended concept and framework for analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(8), pages 1620-1635.
    23. Valentine, Scott Victor & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2010. "The socio-political economy of nuclear power development in Japan and South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 7971-7979, December.
    24. Benjamin K. Sovacool & Götz Walter, 2019. "Internationalizing the political economy of hydroelectricity: security, development and sustainability in hydropower states," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 49-79, January.
    25. Kivimaa, Paula & Kern, Florian, 2016. "Creative destruction or mere niche support? Innovation policy mixes for sustainability transitions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 205-217.
    26. Marques, António Cardoso & Pires, Patrícia Silva, 2019. "Is there a resource curse phenomenon for natural gas? Evidence from countries with abundant natural gas," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-1.
    27. Poncian, Japhace & Jose, Jim, 2019. "National resource ownership and community engagement in Tanzania's natural gas governance," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    28. Yang, Jinxuan & Rizvi, Syed Kumail Abbas & Tan, Zhixiong & Umar, Muhammad & Koondhar, Mansoor Ahmed, 2021. "The competing role of natural gas and oil as fossil fuel and the non-linear dynamics of resource curse in Russia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Brauers, Hanna & Oei, Pao-Yu, 2020. "The political economy of coal in Poland: Drivers and barriers for a shift away from fossil fuels," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 144.
    2. Brauers, Hanna & Oei, Pao-Yu, 2020. "The political economy of coal in Poland: Drivers and barriers for a shift away from fossil fuels," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    3. Karoliina Isoaho & Jochen Markard, 2020. "The Politics of Technology Decline: Discursive Struggles over Coal Phase‐Out in the UK," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(3), pages 342-368, May.
    4. Chunhong Sheng & Yun Cao & Bing Xue, 2018. "Residential Energy Sustainability in China and Germany: The Impact of National Energy Policy System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    5. Edmondson, Duncan L. & Kern, Florian & Rogge, Karoline S., 2019. "The co-evolution of policy mixes and socio-technical systems: Towards a conceptual framework of policy mix feedback in sustainability transitions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(10).
    6. Lars Sorge & Anne Neumann & Christian von Hirschhausen & Ben Wealer, 2019. "Nuclear Power, Democracy, Development, and Nuclear Warheads: Determinants for Introducing Nuclear Power," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1811, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    7. Phil Johnstone & Andy Stirling, 2015. "Comparing Nuclear Power Trajectories inGermany And the UK: From ‘Regimes’ to ‘Democracies’ in Sociotechnical Transitions and Discontinuities," SPRU Working Paper Series 2015-18, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    8. Lindberg, Marie Byskov & Markard, Jochen & Andersen, Allan Dahl, 2019. "Policies, actors and sustainability transition pathways: A study of the EU’s energy policy mix," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(10).
    9. Møller, Karl Magnus, 2024. "Domestic renewable energy industries and national decarbonization policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    10. Rogge, Karoline S. & Pfluger, Benjamin & Geels, Frank, 2017. "Transformative policy mixes in socio-technical scenarios: The case of the low-carbon transition of the German electricity system (2010-2050)," Working Papers "Sustainability and Innovation" S11/2017, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).
    11. Lisa Scordato & Markus M Bugge & Teis Hansen & Anne Tanner & Olav Wicken, 2022. "Walking the talk? Innovation policy approaches to unleash the transformative potentials of the Nordic bioeconomy [Derfor har vi brug for en national bioøkonomistrategi. By the Danish Agriculture & ," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 49(2), pages 324-346.
    12. Huang, Gillan Chi-Lun & Chen, Rung-Yi & Park, Byung-Bae, 2021. "Democratic innovations as a party tool: A comparative analysis of nuclear energy public participation in Taiwan and South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    13. Bhardwaj, Chandan & Axsen, Jonn & Kern, Florian & McCollum, David, 2020. "Why have multiple climate policies for light-duty vehicles? Policy mix rationales, interactions and research gaps," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 309-326.
    14. Hellsmark, Hans & Hansen, Teis, 2020. "A new dawn for (oil) incumbents within the bioeconomy? Trade-offs and lessons for policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    15. Barbanente, Angela & Grassini, Laura, 2022. "Fostering transitions in landscape policies: A multi-level perspective," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    16. Gavin Bridge & Ludger Gailing, 2020. "New energy spaces: Towards a geographical political economy of energy transition," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 52(6), pages 1037-1050, September.
    17. Valentine, Scott Victor, 2014. "The socio-political economy of electricity generation in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 416-429.
    18. Sampsa Hyysalo & Jani Lukkarinen & Paula Kivimaa & Raimo Lovio & Armi Temmes & Mikael Hildén & Tatu Marttila & Karoliina Auvinen & Sofi Perikangas & Allu Pyhälammi & Janne Peljo & Kaisa Savolainen & L, 2019. "Developing Policy Pathways: Redesigning Transition Arenas for Mid-range Planning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-22, January.
    19. Iizuka, Michiko & Hane, Gerald, 2021. "Transformation towards sustainable development goals: Role of innovation ecosystems for inclusive, disruptive advances in five Asian case studies," MERIT Working Papers 2021-001, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    20. Qi, Ye & Lu, Jiaqi & Liu, Tianle, 2024. "Measuring energy transition away from fossil fuels: A new index," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:189:y:2024:i:pb:s1364032123008742. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.