The Power of Paradigms: The EU and Global Energy Policy

Abstract:     
The European Union faces a number of challenges that are the direct consequences of dramatic changes in the global energy market. In order to decrease its dependence on other countries for its energy supply and be at the forefront of efforts to combat climate change, the EU has embarked on an ambitious energy transition. But even as it does so, each of the drivers that shape global energy markets is being redefined: markets, policy agendas, geopolitics, and actors. The global setting for energy policy is changing, but the new contours have yet to emerge. At this stage, we can assert with some confidence that the post-Cold War market-liberal paradigm is on its way out, but we can say less about what is replacing it.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 4

Keywords: Energy, paradigm, public policy, Europe

JEL Classification: N70, D78, P16

working papers series