SovacoolWalter-The Political Economy of Hydroelectricity-Final.pdf (700 kB)
Internationalizing the political economy of hydroelectricity: security, development, and sustainability in hydropower states
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 13:37 authored by Benjamin SovacoolBenjamin Sovacool, Götz WalterOur study offers a comparative assessment of the economic, sociopolitical, and environmental implications of the world’s largest source of renewable electricity, hydropower. Theorists from many disciplines have questioned both the proper role and ostensible benefits from the generation of electricity from large-scale hydroelectric dams. In this study, we use 30 years of World Bank data from 1985 to 2014 and a research design with three mutually exclusive reference classes of countries: major hydropower producers, members of OPEC, and all other countries. This is precisely so our analysis moves away from “dam-centric” or single case study approaches to comparative analysis at the international scale. We examine and test six separate hypotheses related to (a) military conflict, (2) poverty, (3) economic growth, (4) public debt, (5) corruption, and (6) greenhouse gas emissions. Our analysis lends statistical support to the idea that there is such a thing as a “hydroelectric resource curse,” although effects were not always significant and varied from small, medium to large. The possible benefits of hydroelectricity—improved energy access, economic development, positive spillover effects—are real, but they are all too frequently constrained. Planners, investors, and researchers may therefore need to rethink their underlying assumptions about how they evaluate hydropower’s risk.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Review of International Political EconomyISSN
0969-2290Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Department affiliated with
- SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2018-06-01First Open Access (FOA) Date
2020-05-13First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2018-06-01Usage metrics
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