The Politics Of Energy Research And Development

The Politics of Energy Research and Development examines and evaluates U.S. research and development policies to promote nuclear, solar, conservation, and other technology options. This volume is the third in the series Energy Policy Studies, which explores fundamental, long-term social, political, and economic dimensions of energy technology, resources, and use. Contributions represent a wide range of theoretical and policy perspectives, including sociology, economics, political science, urban and regional studies, environmental analysis, and history and philosophy of technology.Contents: Richard L. Ottinger, ""Introduction: The Tragedy of U.S. Energy R&D Policy""; Amor^ B. Lovins, ""The Origins of the Nuclear Power Fiasco""; Richard T. Sylves, ""Nuclear Exotica: Peaceful Use of Nuclear Explosives""; Eugene Frankel, ""Technology, Politics and Ideology: The Vicissitudes of Federal Solar Energy Policy, 1974-1983""; Maxine Savitz, ""The Federal Role in Conservation Research and Development""; J. David Roessner, ""Commercialization Issues in Energy Technology Policy""; John Byrne and Daniel Rich, ""In Search of the Abundant Energy Machine""; and Grant P. Thompson, ""Energy Policy in the Interim: Waiting for the Next Shoe to Drop.

The Politics of Energy Research and Development examines and evaluates U.S. research and development policies to promote nuclear, solar, conservation, and other technology options. This volume is the third in the series "Energy Policy Studies, "which explores fundamental, long-term social, political, and economic dimensions of energy technology, resources, and use. Contributions represent a wide range of theoretical and policy perspectives, including sociology, economics, political science, urban and regional studies, environmental analysis, and history and philosophy of technology. Contents: Richard L. Ottinger, "Introduction: The Tragedy of U.S. Energy R&D Policy"; Amor DEGREES B. Lovins, "The Origins of the Nuclear Power Fiasco"; Richard T. Sylves, "Nuclear Exotica: Peaceful Use of Nuclear Explosives"; Eugene Frankel, "Technology, Politics and Ideology: The Vicissitudes of Federal Solar Energy Policy, 1974-1983"; Maxine Savitz, "The Federal Role in Conservation Research and Development"; J. David Roessner, "Commercialization Issues in Energy Technology Policy"; John Byrne and Daniel Rich, "In Search of the Abundant Energy Machine"; and Grant P. Thompson, "Energy Policy in the Interim: Waiting for the Next Shoe to Drop."

This book addresses energy research from four distinct International Political Economy perspectives: energy security, governance, legal and developmental areas. Energy is too important to be neglected by political scientists. Yet, within the mainstream of the discipline energy research still remains a peripheral area of academic enquiry seeking to plug into the discipline’s theoretical debates. The purpose of this book is to assess how existing perspectives fit with our understanding of social science energy research by focusing on the oil and gas dimension.

In the global North the commoditization of creativity and knowledge under the banner of a creative economy is being posed as the post-industrial answer to dependency on labour and natural resources. Not only does it promise a more stable and sustainable future, but an economy focused on intellectual property is more environmentally friendly, so it is suggested. Contested Powers argues that the fixes being offered by this model are bluffs; development as witnessed in Latin American energy politics and governance remains hindered by a global division of labour and nature that puts the capacity for technological advancement in private hands. The authors call for a multi-layered understanding of sovereignty, arguing that it holds the key to undermining rigid accounts of the relationship between carbon and democracy, energy and development, and energy and political expression. Furthermore, a critical focus on energy politics is crucial to wider debates on development and sustainability. Contested Powers is essential reading for those wondering how energy resources are converted into political power and why we still value the energy we take from our surroundings more than the means of its extraction.

During the past few decades there has been an advance in the research and development of solving the issue of declining energy resources. Funding by the U.S. government into energy research has risen steeply. Because of the growing importance of research and development in this field of research, in 1973 Resources for the Future undertook a study of energy-associated study, including an investigation of how research on energy R & D itself could be carried out. This title, first published in 1974, assesses a wide range of ways in which economics could contribute to decisions on where and in what amounts government R & D money should be spent. The report also evaluates the research and development approach in relation to other public energy policies or management tools. The book will be of interest to students of environmental studies and economics.