Abstract
Governments around the globe enact various energy and environmental policies focused on electricity production and consumption, conservation, waste management, water and air pollution, and many others. The public policy approaches to address such issues often lean toward a status quo that favors more powerful actors who sometimes attempt to stifle innovation. This paper reviews the “Punctuated Equilibrium Theory” framework and how it illuminates novel policy changes in an energy and environment context.
Full PaperGilbert Michaud
Senior Research Associate
Dr. Gilbert Michaud is a Senior Research Associate at gLAWcal – Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development (United Kingdom). He is also an Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy at the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University Chicago.
Summary
Governments around the globe enact various energy and environmental policies focused on electricity production and consumption, conservation, waste management, water and air pollution, and many others. The public policy approaches to address such issues often lean toward a status quo that favors more powerful actors who sometimes attempt to stifle innovation. This paper reviews the “Punctuated Equilibrium Theory” framework and how it illuminates novel policy changes in an energy and environment context.