Reclaiming state capacity in the politics of energy transitions: the cautionary tale of Venezuela's predatory transition

Antulio Rosales

Chapter 20 in Handbook on International Development and the Environment, 2023, pp 313-327 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter argues that state capacity is fundamental for sustainable transitions to take place. The goal is to warn about the risks that unplanned fossil fuel phase-outs may entail for countries in the Global South. A fossil fuel phase-out must be a piece of a broader puzzle where state capacity is also important. The chapter explores a case where an unintended transition has occurred: Venezuela, a traditional hydrocarbon powerhouse whose oil industry has declined amid increasing authoritarianism, international hostility, and mismanagement. By looking at “actually existing transitions” such as Venezuela’s unplanned and predatory dismantling of the oil industry, it is possible to explain the complexity and non-linearity of climate change struggles. The risks of predatory transitions can lead petro-states to further environmental destruction and social exclusion. The connection between climate change and state capacity shows the need for further studies that can illuminate global economy trends and domestic social and productive linkages that favor more sustainable transitions.

Keywords: Development Studies; Economics and Finance; Environment; Geography; Politics and Public Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/9781800883789/9781800883789.00030.xml (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:20590_20

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Darrel McCalla ().