Participation, equity and access in global energy security provision: Towards a comprehensive perspective

The multilateral institutions of global energy governance consider energy security a key aspect for achieving greater coordination in the energy transition. However, the public good characteristics of energy security and its implications for global energy governance have not been systematically analyzed. This article discusses the concept of energy security within the global energy governance literature and the public character of the energy regime complex in the area of energy security. We define the requirements for considering energy security as a global public good. Then, we apply this theoretical framework and assess the levels of publicness of consumption, benefits, and decision-making of the various global energy security approaches. The results show that institutional arrangements for the governance of the security of supply and demand should be conceptualized as transnational public goods rather being considered within a more global cooperative energy security approach. We discuss the implications of the results for other global energy governance domains, finding that the extension of the public character of energy security may limit coordination in other areas of energy governance, such as climate change mitigation.

Automated summary

This article discusses the concept of energy security and the public characteristics of the energy regime complex in the field of global energy governance. It emphasizes the importance of considering energy security as a global public good, and suggests that institutional arrangements for security of supply and demand should be conceptualized as transnational public goods. The extension of the public character of energy security may limit coordination in other areas of energy governance.