Researcher
Kacper Szulecki
Contactinfo and files
Summary
Kacper Szulecki is a Research Professor in International Climate Governance at NUPI, and a Professor II at the Centre for Development and the Environment (SUM), University of Oslo, where he is a fellow in the Include Centre for socially inclusive energy transitions.
He studied international relations, political sociology, psychology and linguistics in Warsaw, Oslo, Amsterdam, and in Konstanz.
His main research interests are the politics of decarbonization, climate and environmental politics, energy security, EU climate and energy governance, dissent as well as intra-European migration.
He has edited several volumes, including “Energy Security in Europe” (Palgrave 2018) and the "Handbook on European Union Climate Change Policy and Politics" (Edward Elgar 2023), and published five monographs. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers, among others in Nature Energy, Governance, Climate Policy, Journal of European Public Policy, Energy Research and Social Science, and Environmental Politics (Best Article 2018). He has also written over 100 pieces for various newspapers and magazines, and has been interviewed by e.g. CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Duetsche Welle, Die Zeit and the Green European Journal.
Expertise
Education
2012 Dr. rer. soc. in political sociology, University of Konstanz
2008 M.Sc. in International Relations (specialization: Global Environmental Governance), VU Amsterdam
Work Experience
2019 Researcher (professor competence in 2020), Dept of Political Science, UiO
2019 Guest researcher, Department of History and Civilization, EUI Florence
2017 Visiting Fellow, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, EUI Florence
2014-2018 Assistant professor, Dept. of Political Science, University of Oslo
2013 Guest researcher, Dept. of Climate Policy, DIW Berlin 2013-2014 Dahrendorf Fellow, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin
2008-2012 Researcher, Cluster of Excellence "Cultural Foundations of Integration", University of Konstanz
2008 Intern, Institute for Environmental Studies, VU Amsterdam
Aktivitet
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Clear all filtersNorway needs energy and security policy coherence
Prior to 2022, Norwegian policymakers have hardly considered coherence between energy and security, and the few coordinating elements in place are focused on emergency preparedness. • Keeping policy areas separate and energy de-securitized has helped improve Norway’s position in the old energy world. However, both the progressing European energy transition and new geopolitical threats from Russia increasingly challenge this arrangement. • Lack of policy coherence makes Norwegian governance less effective in dealing both with sudden shocks, like the Nord Stream sabotage, and long-term stress factors, like climatic change. • Formalized coordination mechanisms between ministries and agencies are necessary and will increase both governance effectiveness and accountability. • Existing agency level collaboration on emergency preparedness may be a starting point. • A transition requires significant institutional reorganization which may be difficult to achieve. Old structures and agencies may not support security issues connected to a new kind of energy system.
Is delay the new denial in climate policy?
With the decline of open climate denialism – is delay the new denial?
A functional approach to decentralization in the electricity sector: learning from community choice aggregation in California
Decentralization of the electricity sector has mainly been studied in relation to its infrastructural aspect, particularly location and size of the generation units, and only recently more attention has been paid to the governance aspects. This article examines power sector (de)centralization operationalized along three functional dimensions: political, administrative and economic. We apply this framework to empirically assess the changes in California’s electricity market, which saw the emergence of institutional innovation in the form of community choice aggregation (CCA). Unpacking the Californian case illustrates how decision-making has moved from central state government and regulators to the municipal level in uneven ways and without decentralized generation keeping pace. We also explore the impacts this multidimensional and diversified decentralization has on the ultimate goals of energy transition: decarbonization and energy security. Our framework and empirical findings challenge the conventional view on decentralization and problematize the widespread assumptions of its positive influence on climate mitigation and grid stability.
How to design EU-level contingency plans for gas shortages? Evidence from behavioural economics, policy research and past experience
In this policy report, we lay out suggestions for the European Union to prepare for possible cuts in gas supply from Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine. Such cuts will result in physical shortages of gas and so, potentially the need to limit consumption and at worst, rationing of gas. We draw on historical examples of managing demand and consumption, from energy and other policy areas, and suggest steps that can be taken to design an acceptable and efficient gas saving scheme.
Interpreting cyber-energy-security events: experts, social imaginaries, and policy discourses around the 2016 Ukraine blackout
We analyse the expert debate around a cyber attack in 2016 that caused an electric power blackout in Ukraine. Two expert reports were crucial for interpreting this event, and there are several competing narratives of cybersecurity where the event plays different roles. We show that the most securitized narratives became more prominent and point to the power wielded by private companies and experts in this field.
The European Union's CBAM as a de facto Climate Club: The Governance Challenges
The European Commission has announced far-reaching reforms to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Among the proposals constituting the European Green Deal is the adoption of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to prevent carbon leakage. In practice, however, CBAM will not only act as a shield for the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) but also incentivize other countries to implement compatible carbon pricing schemes. We argue that the EU's CBAM thus de facto has the features of a climate club, but the current proposals and debate do not address how the club would be governed, addressing them involves a trade-off between maintaining control over the direction and ambition of climate policy and CBAM's legitimacy.
Webinar: Europe’s green transition – Opportunities and barriers for EU-Norway cooperation
To what extent Norway is an important element of the Commission’s vision of transition under the EGD, in which sectors beyond oil and gas are Norway’s contributions expected and welcome, and what obstacles to this partnership exist due to its non-member status?
Norway and the EU towards 2030
This project takes a closer look at developments on key areas in the relationship between Norway and the EU towards 2030....
Green finance in the Global South – can it help combat climate change and aid sustainable development?
How can climate investments contribute to fight climate change and at the same time create just and sustainable development?
New research group on climate and energy at NUPI