TY - JOUR

T1 - Energy firms' responses to institutional ambiguity and complexity in long energy transitions

T2 - The case of the UK and China

AU - Tarim, Emre

AU - Finke, Tobias

AU - Liu, Lingxuan

N1 - This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Tarim, E., Finke, T. and Liu, L. (2021), Energy Firms’ Responses to Institutional Ambiguity and Complexity in Long Energy Transitions: The Case of the UK and China. Brit J Manage, 32: 648-692. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12354 which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8551.12354 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.

PY - 2021/7/1

Y1 - 2021/7/1

N2 - We compare and contrast the UK and China as maximum variation cases for understanding long energy transitions from the state and the firm perspectives. We present case histories and corpus-based computer-assisted textual analyses on the long energy transitions in both countries. With these, we explore and explain how and why energy supply firms respond the way they do to the institutional ambiguities and complexities that characterize the long energy transitions in each case. Our findings demonstrate that a centrally coordinated and imposed approach by the state can generate institutional clarity in long energy transition, which is quickly seized on by firms striving to preserve and increase their resources and influence. Such clarity and transition processes lose momentum owing to the perennial trilemma of energy affordability, security and sustainability. Market-based mechanisms to trigger and sustain long energy transitions, complemented with focused and continuous state interventions (e.g., incentives, taxation) provide a more effective and accountable institutional framework for the state and energy firms to deal with the energy trilemma. Irrespective of the logic of the type of economy that manifests the backdrop for any long energy transition process, institutional ambiguity and complexity never disappear completely, owing to both the energy trilemma and the institutional multiplicities.

AB - We compare and contrast the UK and China as maximum variation cases for understanding long energy transitions from the state and the firm perspectives. We present case histories and corpus-based computer-assisted textual analyses on the long energy transitions in both countries. With these, we explore and explain how and why energy supply firms respond the way they do to the institutional ambiguities and complexities that characterize the long energy transitions in each case. Our findings demonstrate that a centrally coordinated and imposed approach by the state can generate institutional clarity in long energy transition, which is quickly seized on by firms striving to preserve and increase their resources and influence. Such clarity and transition processes lose momentum owing to the perennial trilemma of energy affordability, security and sustainability. Market-based mechanisms to trigger and sustain long energy transitions, complemented with focused and continuous state interventions (e.g., incentives, taxation) provide a more effective and accountable institutional framework for the state and energy firms to deal with the energy trilemma. Irrespective of the logic of the type of economy that manifests the backdrop for any long energy transition process, institutional ambiguity and complexity never disappear completely, owing to both the energy trilemma and the institutional multiplicities.

KW - Long Energy Transitions

KW - Energy Supply Firms

KW - UK

KW - China

KW - Corpus Analysis

U2 - 10.1111/1467-8551.12354

DO - 10.1111/1467-8551.12354

M3 - Journal article

VL - 32

SP - 648

EP - 692

JO - British Journal of Management

JF - British Journal of Management

SN - 1045-3172

IS - 3

ER -