431. Electricity: Liberal Futures
- Author:
- Walt Patterson
- Publication Date:
- 11-1997
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Chatham House
- Abstract:
- Like the international dimension of electricity discussed in Working Paper 1, the liberal dimension of electricity has emerged only recently, at least as a recognized concept. However, whereas the international dimension is genuinely new, the dimension now characterized as 'liberal' needs closer examination. The language of policy discourse is not always consistent. Until the 1990s, policy analysts habitually referred to the electricity industry as 'conservative', in the sense that it was resistant to change and deeply wary of risk. However, those who first acted to 'liberalize' electricity were themselves 'conservative', in conventional political terms, notably the governments of Chile and the UK in the 1980s. That apparent irony in itself suggests that 'liberalizing' electricity is a more subtle and complex process than the term itself might indicate.
- Topic:
- Energy Policy, Environment, Government, Industrial Policy, International Trade and Finance, and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- United Kingdom and Chile