Understanding Energy Citizenship: How Cultural Capital Shapes the Energy Transition

Sikke R. Jansma, Le Anh Nguyen Long and Dasom Lee ()
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Sikke R. Jansma: Section of Communication Science, Department of Technology, Human and Institutional Behavior, Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
Le Anh Nguyen Long: Section of Public Administration, Department of Technology, Human and Institutional Behavior, Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
Dasom Lee: Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy, College of Liberal Arts and Convergence Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: Community involvement and citizenship have been crucial drivers in energy transitions worldwide. To deepen our understanding of the energy transition and to further promote energy citizenship, we leverage Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital to shed light on the inequities in community-centered energy transition processes. More specifically, this study demonstrates that cultural capital is an important indicator of an individual’s willingness to participate in renewable energy-related behavior and social movements. Using survey data in the Netherlands as a case study, it finds that depending on the type of energy citizenship, i.e., material participation (investments) or communicative participation (protest), different types of cultural capital are in play. The results of this study imply that a nuanced approach towards both concepts, namely energy citizenship and cultural capital, is needed. The scholarly and practical implications of this study are discussed, and the study concludes with pathways for more comprehensive community engagement.

Keywords: energy citizenship; cultural capital; energy transition; Netherlands (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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