Competition among purposes: The Chinese experience in the governance of climate change and energy transition

• Main Authors: GAO, Henry S., ZHOU, Weihuan
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2023
• Subjects: China; Climate Change; Energy Transition; Carbon Peak; Carbon Neutrality; Energy Governance; Trade Governance; Asian Studies; International Trade Law
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/4300; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/6258/viewcontent/Competition_Purposes_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Energy governance at the international level is fraught with difficulties due to the 'competition among purposes' between different bodies of international law. In this paper, we extend this thesis to argue that the same tension may be found in domestic energy governance. Drawing from China's experience in the governance of climate change and energy transition, we analyse how the misalignment of incentives between different actors and the incomplete market reform led to a drastic shift in policy in 2021. We also compare the different approaches in China's energy governance and trade governance and draw some general lessons on how developing countries might overcome such governance problems.