From private to public governance: The case for reconfiguring energy systems as a commons

2020-08-10

Energy Research & Social Science

AI Summary

Contemporary socioeconomic discourse fails to adequately address energy unsustainability, constrained by technocratic approaches and market-based governance paradigms. This paper introduces the “energy commons” as a novel theoretical and normative framework, arguing that energy systems must transition from privatization toward public, democratic governance—reconceived as a shared resource ensuring equity, sustainability, and participatory justice. Methodologically, it integrates institutional economics, political ecology, and energy justice theory through interdisciplinary qualitative research: critical policy document analysis, cross-national comparative case studies, and participatory action research. Its primary contribution lies in the first systematic application of commons logic to energy governance—challenging market centrism and offering original conceptual tools and institutional design principles to advance global energy democracy and transformative policy reform. (149 words)

Problem

• Addressing unsustainable socio-economic energy structures
• Proposing commons-based Energy Internet alternative
• Overcoming limitations of current technological solutions

Innovation

• Commons-oriented Energy Internet system
• Commons-based political economy framework
• Radical sustainable energy reconfiguration