Competition, cooperation, and adaptation: The organizational ecology of international organizations in global energy governance

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Christian Downie
Keyword(s):  
Global Governance ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Shared Governance ◽  
International Energy Agency ◽  
Organizational Ecology ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Global Energy ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Energy Governance

Abstract In policy domains characterised by complexity, international organizations (IOs) with overlapping mandates and governance functions regularly interact in ways that have important implications for global governance. Yet the dynamics of IO interactions remain understudied. This article breaks new ground by building on the theoretical insights of organizational ecology to examine IO competition, cooperation, and adaptation in the domain of energy. Drawing on original empirical data, I consider three related hypotheses: (1) competition between IOs in the same population is likely to centre on material resources; (2) IOs are more likely to cooperate when they have a shared governance goal; and (3) individual IOs can adapt by changing their goals and boundaries. In considering these hypotheses, this article highlights the limits of the organizational ecology approach and the need to broaden it to account for the possibility that IOs do cooperate, and that individual IOs, such as the International Energy Agency, have the capacity to adapt to changes in their environment.

Global energy institutions. Russia at the IEA can tip the scale, assuring enhanced governance

2012 ◽  
pp. 972-996
Author(s):  
Alberto Tita
Keyword(s):  
International Cooperation ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
International Energy Agency ◽  
Energy Regulation ◽  
Economic Governance ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Global Energy ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
The Core ◽  
Global Economic Governance

International cooperation on energy had momentum in 2012. So far fragmented in multiple initiatives and agencies, the global dialogue about energy can now undergo some rationalization. Such innovation takes move from Russia action, as one of the key energy exporters, in multilateral venues. Last summer Moscow either entered the WTO, either got the pro-tempore Presidency of the G8/G20. Moreover, Russia is at the OECD doorstep for joining it as a full-fledged member, with a view to entering the OECD affiliate, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA). All these hubs of international cooperation are the core of global economic governance and hugely involved in energy regulation. For their strict interrelation, the role that Moscow can simultaneously play at the junction of such institutions will result essential to favour the centrality of the IEA. With beneficial effects over international energy regulation and, in the end, on global governance as well. … From Russia with … law?

Governing renewables: Policy feedback in a global energy transition

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Meckling
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
International Cooperation ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Feedback ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Global Energy ◽  
Energy Governance ◽  
Market Opportunities

Complex global problems such as climate change have not been met with deep international cooperation but with complex systems of governance across multiple scales. This includes the global governance of renewable energy, the fastest growing source of electric power globally. How did the complex system of governance for renewable energy emerge, evolve, and institutionalize? This article posits that policy feedback on market actors helps to explain the evolution of renewable energy governance. The extent to which policy expands or limits market opportunities for firms shapes significantly the coalitions that emerge in support of new institutions, such as policies and organizations, in global renewable energy governance. This article examines the role of policy feedback for three major periods of renewable energy governance, focusing on a case for each period: (1) the emergence and expansion of domestic policy in Germany’s feed-in tariff, (2) international cooperation in the creation of the International Renewable Energy Agency, and (3) international competition in the European Union-China solar trade dispute. The findings contribute to our understanding of complex interdependence in a policy-driven global energy transition, complementing analyses of domestic energy transitions. They also suggest that policymakers can—to some extent—strategically leverage feedback dynamics to promote market transformations in the absence of comprehensive international cooperation.

Are We on the Cusp of a Global Renewable Energy Transition?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sybille Roehrkasten
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Accelerated Expansion ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Global Energy ◽  
Intergovernmental Organization ◽  
Energy Governance ◽  
Global Energy Supply

This chapter examines global energy trends, whether a global renewable energy transition is already taking place, and what steps are needed to further accelerate the global deployment of renewables. It first considers the expansion of renewable energy in light of global energy trends, noting that a global energy transition is not yet a reality but is urgently needed. It then looks at drivers and barriers for an accelerated expansion of renewable energy and proceeds by discussing how renewables are moving from the sidelines to the center stage of global energy governance. In particular, it describes the politics behind the creation of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), an intergovernmental organization on renewable energy, as well as current challenges for global governance on renewable energy. The chapter shows that global renewable energy capacities have grown significantly but that global energy supply is still dominated by fossil fuels.

The role of gas in transforming energy

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Calabria
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
International Energy Agency ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Global Energy ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Power Stations ◽  
Australian Economy ◽  
Major Shift ◽  
New Policies ◽  
The Right

Energy is undergoing the most significant transition since the alternating current – allowing energy to be generated in large, centralised power stations and safely sent to homes and businesses via thousands of kilometres of high voltage wires – was invented nearly 150 years ago. Energy is increasingly decentralised and low emissions – in Australia, renewables will double from 15 TWh today to 30 TWh by the end of this year. Globally, we are also seeing a major shift. The International Energy Agency forecasts that global population is set to increase by 1.7 billion by 2040, which will see demand for energy rise by about a quarter. This will be driven by the emerging economies of Asia, which are commendably tackling emissions far earlier in their history than today’s established economies. Gas is the key to managing the transition at least cost and least impact to reliability – it is more flexible and able to step in quickly when renewables aren’t generating. Renewables will grow to 40 per cent of the global energy mix under the IEA’s new policies scenario and gas will overtake coal by 2030 to be the second largest source of energy after oil to support this. For Australia, which became the world’s largest exporter of LNG this year, the opportunity to facilitate the global shift to lower emissions as well as maintain a competitive price for domestic users is clear, but depends on policy continuing to support the development of gas resources. With unconventional gas set to become increasingly important in meeting global energy demand, it is also time for the gas industry to step up and ensure that gas is seen as nation building for the Australian economy as coal was in the 20th century. To view the video, click the link on the right.

The Role of Natural Gas in Energy Transition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Angulo Rodríguez ◽  
Ariel Yépez-García
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
International Energy Agency ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Energy Matrix ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Global Energy ◽  
Firm Power ◽  
Gas Market

As of 2004 and continuously to this day, the annual growth rate of renewable sources has been greater than that of all fossil fuels combined. In the midst of this transition to cleaner energy, natural gas is the only fossil fuel that has increased its share in the global energy matrix. Technological changes in the LNG supply chain, as well as transformations in the global natural gas market, largely explain this growth. This publication provides evidence on the fundamental role that natural gas plays in the energy transition, given that: (i) its greenhouse gas emissions are substantially lower than those of oil and coal; (ii) it provides the firm power necessary to complement intermittent renewable energies; (iii) it is particularly safe compared to other fossil fuels. In line with these attributes, the International Energy Agency projects that the share of natural gas in the global energy matrix by 2040 will remain stable (around 24%), even in its Sustainable Development Scenario, which would allow to meet the goals established in the Paris Agreement.

scholarly journals Fragmentation in Global Energy Governance: Explaining the Creation of IRENA

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 14-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thijs Van de Graaf
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
International Energy Agency ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Hedging Strategy ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Energy Governance ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Energy Options ◽  
Degree Of Fragmentation

In 2009, a group of member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) spearheaded the creation of a new international organization, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), despite the fact that the IEA had been working on renewables for decades. Why would states create an overlapping organization, thus advancing the overall degree of fragmentation? Drawing on the work of Mansfield and Moravcsik, this article provides an explanation based on domestic preferences and institutional capture. Viewed thus, IRENA was part of an institutional hedging strategy instigated by domestic actors in Germany and allied states to counter the IEA's alleged normative bias toward the fossil and nuclear energy industries with a wider set of alternative energy options. The article suggests that, depending on the domestic preferences of a set of states capable to innovate, the transaction costs associated with institutional reform may surmount those of institutional creation.

Mechanisms of Global Governance: Economic Analysis

2013 ◽  
pp. 4-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Grigoryev ◽  
A. Kurdin
Keyword(s):  
Property Rights ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Global Level ◽  
Narrow Sense ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Global Problems

The coordination of economic activity at the global level is carried out through different mechanisms, which regulate activities of companies, states, international organizations. In spite of wide diversity of entrenched mechanisms of governance in different areas, they can be classified on the basis of key characteristics, including distribution of property rights, mechanisms of governance (in the narrow sense according to O. Williamson), mechanisms of expansion. This approach can contribute not only to classifying existing institutions but also to designing new ones. The modern aggravation of global problems may require rethinking mechanisms of global governance. The authors offer the universal framework for considering this problem and its possible solutions.

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