Crisis of the energy markets: experimentation and contention
A virtual, international workshop
We invite abstract submissions for an international, virtual workshop on
the theme of “Crisis in the energy markets,” to be held on 2-3 February,
2023.
The project of decarbonizing the energy system has a complex and tense
relationship to the project of remaking the sector as a set of integrated
price-forming and competitive markets. That tension has been heightened by
recent crises in the supply of energy. In many instances, the two goals are
simply incompatible. As a result, energy markets are the object of
intensive rethinking, struggle, and experimentation. The rules of the
market, the identity of the actors involved, even cultural framings of what
markets are and what is expected of them are at stake. The liberalized
market and planning are no longer described by a single axis, but coexist
in new configurations.
While there is an extensive literature on the recommended and desirable
features of energy markets, this workshop is meant to encourage work that
examines the complex process by which actual markets are shaped. This
includes perspectives from political economy, economic sociology, science
and technology studies, finance and valuation studies, which are concerned
with the emergent order of markets, in understanding the markets we get,
rather than specifying what markets we want.
The study of the energy sector also constitutes a formidable opportunity to
understand economic regulation, its legitimacy requirements, its
intellectual, ideological, and institutional resources. It presents an
opportunity to question the delegation of this complex regulation to
experts, and to challenge the strong inertia of institutionalized rules.
Analyses of energy markets can both describe and participate in the
political contestation over distribution, price, and access.
And finally, the reconfiguration of energy markets provides fertile ground
for advancing our general understanding of processes of valuation, market
formation, and economization.
Geographical scope: Global. Contributions from outside of Europe and North
America are particularly welcome.
Subject area: Change in contemporary energy markets, including electricity,
fuels (gas, petroleum, coal), energy-related materials (lithium, rare earth
metals), and carbon emissions.
Disciplinary framework: any committed to the naturalistic study of actual
processes of market formation, whether political, cultural,
political-economic, sociological, including, but not limited to
:
-
Economic Sociology
Market, finance, and valuation studies
Energy anthropology
Political economy
Science and technology studies
Human geography
Partial listing of possible themes:
-
Reconciling markets with government climate goals
Markets and energy justice
Experts as mediators
Grid integration at different scales
Demand management, consumers, and retail markets
Renewables integration
Assetizing new entities: energy efficiency, storage, flexibility
Distributed resources, prosumers, and the devolution of market relations
Political crisis of market mechanisms
EU ETS, energy markets, and energy uses
Workshop date: February 2-3 (2 consecutive half-days)
Format: Virtual
Abstract submission deadline: 1 September, 2022
Notification of acceptance: 1 October, 2022
Full paper drafts due: 15 January 2023
Sponsors:
Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, Virginia Tech
PACTE (CNRS, Université Grenoble-Alpes)
Please send abstracts of 300-500 words, indicating empirical scope,
conceptual/theoretical perspective, data and research methods, and main
arguments/conclusions, to marketcrisis@vt.edu.
Organizers:
Ronan Bolton - Science, Technology and Innovation Studies. School of Social
and Political Science. University of Edinburgh Ronan.Bolton@ed.ac.uk
Daniel Breslau - Science, Technology, and Society, Virginia Tech
dbreslau@vt.edu
Thomas Reverdy - PACTE (CNRS, Université Grenoble-Alpes)
thomas.reverdy@grenoble-inp.fr
--
Daniel Breslau
Associate Professor
Department of Science, Technology, and Society
Virginia Tech
133 Lane Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0247
(540) 231-8472 (work)
(540) 449-9791 (mobile)
[demime 1.01d removed an attachment of type application/pdf which had a name of Call for submissions.pdf]
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