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Re-Thinking EU Energy Security: The Utility of Global Best Practices for Successful Transnational Energy Governance

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Dynamics of Energy Governance in Europe and Russia

Part of the book series: International Political Economy Series ((IPES))

Abstract

Policy transfer has become a key tool of European Union (EU) foreign policy making in the energy sector. Policy transfer is defined as processes whereby ‘knowledge about how policies, administrative arrangements, institutions and ideas in one political setting (past or present) is used in the development of policies, administrative arrangements, institutions in another political setting’ (Dolowitz and Marsh 2000: 5). In the case of the electricity sector, the EU seeks to transfer policies to its neighbours and energy partners, and thereby influence the direction of electricity sector reforms, as a strategy for improving EU energy security. This article explores the problematic basis of this approach to meeting EU foreign policy objectives on two fronts. First, various ‘institutional problems’ that may result from the different domestic political economic contexts in the target countries from the EU are flagged. Second, the actual policies being transferred by the EU are revealed as problematic neo-liberal ‘global best practices’ for electricity sector reform. These have proved controversial even inside the EU.

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Authors
  1. Michael F. Keating
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation (CSGR), University of Warwick, UK

    Caroline Kuzemko (Post-doctoral Researcher) (Post-doctoral Researcher)

  2. Higher School of Economics, National Research University, Russia

    Andrei V. Belyi (Associate Professor) (Associate Professor)

  3. Central European University, Hungary

    Andreas Goldthau (Associate Professor) (Associate Professor)

  4. American International University, London, UK

    Michael F. Keating (Associate Professor of International Political Economy) (Associate Professor of International Political Economy)

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© 2012 Michael F. Keating

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Keating, M.F. (2012). Re-Thinking EU Energy Security: The Utility of Global Best Practices for Successful Transnational Energy Governance. In: Kuzemko, C., Belyi, A.V., Goldthau, A., Keating, M.F. (eds) Dynamics of Energy Governance in Europe and Russia. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230370944_5

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