Energy and Cohesion: Governance, Regulations and Negotiations

Members: François Bafoil, Amélie Bonnet, Kathryn Chelminski, Marcin Dąbrowksi,Guillaume De Langre, Ferenc Fodor, Rachel Guyet, Dominique Leroux, Gilles Lepesant, Kheetanat Wannaboworn

The first research focus of this research group concerns the strategy used to reduce carbon emissions by redirecting production towards renewable energies. The transition to a “carbon-free” economy raises the question of the role of the European Union, in particular its cohesion policy, and the ability of regional and local actors to mobilise their resources. This is the issue of incentives and conditionality.

The second field refers to the ability of actors at different levels of intervention to ensure the link between the objectives of the Green Agenda and those of the Social Agenda. It aims to explore how European, national, regional and local actors mobilise their resources to ensure clean and affordable energy for all citizens. This is the issue of social, economic and territorial cohesion. In addition, the issue of fuel poverty and of the access to energy analysed within and outside the EU is also at stake.

The research group’s third focus is the geopolitical aspect of energy. How can security be guaranteed for energy supply within the E.U. and beyond, in Asia, in the Gulf, Maghreb, South America…? Our research is interested in the EU’s capacity to promote an external energy governance through the ENP (European Neighbourhood Policy). This means that we are interested in the issue of negotiations within a context of unstable rules and institutions and where common European mechanisms have little weight faced to opportunistic behavior of their partners. The comparative study of other regional areas focuses on the different regional groups’ capacity to trigger a renewable energy mix that could help reduce dependency of the different states and guarantee their development. The group benefits from the support of several private and public institutions : DATAR, Caisse des dépôts et consignations, Institut d’excellence (IDEX), EDF

François Bafoil and Rachel Guyet are members of the EU Energy Observatory and of the COST Action 16232 (European Energy Poverty: Agenda Co-Creation and Knowledge Innovation, ENGAGER 2017-2021).

 François Bafoil is currently working with Gilles Lepesant on a project for the French Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC) entitled “Structuration des filières de la transition énergétique à l'échelle nationale et territoriale”. The final report will be available in February 2019.

Sciences Po-CERI & EDF R&D Programme

Contact : Rachel Guyet

Publications

November 2018 : Publication of Energies nouvelles, territoires autonomes ?, by Gilles Lepesant,  Presses de l'Inalco

François Bafoil and Rachel Guyet, with Lise Desvallées (LATTS) published a report entitled Executive Summary, Logement social, gestion de l’énergie et lutte contre la précarité énergétique en France (Paris, Hauts-de-France, Nancy) et en Europe (Grande-Bretagne, Allemagne, Espagne) in July 2017. The report was written for the Fédération des entreprises sociales pour l'habitat.

Read the interview with interview with Rachel Guyet

The report is available in English, here

In cooperation with Universities Paris 13 and Paris Diderot, the research group has developed a research project (IdEX SPC) aiming to analyse the social acceptability of windfarms in five European territories (France, Germany, Great-Britain, the Netherland and Poland).  An edited book was published in 2016 with Presses de Sciences Po: L'énergie éolienne en Europe

Special Issue of Europe en formation:  Energy and Justice in the EU and in Asia

Videos

Interview with the two authors of Accès à l'énergie en Europe with Thibault Lieurade de Xerfi

See a video of François Bafoil interviewed by Xerfi Canal on what is at stake concerning investments for energy transition: access the video

Access to the research group's Archives