Energy, Sustainability and Society welcomes submissions to the thematic series on 'The Governance of Sustainable Energy Transitions in the Global South'.
From 15 to 17 September 2019, fourteen scholars from eleven countries convened on the Campus of University of Ghana, Legon, in Accra, to discuss the governance of energy systems from a Global Southern perspective. The presentations covered a broad range of regional contexts with case studies mostly from West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire) but also from East Africa (Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya) and South Africa. The scholars also drew on a wealth of different theoretical perspectives. However, the presentations shared commonalities, too. First, there was the emphasis on complex governance processes that are influenced by diverse sets of actors, not only within national boundaries but often far beyond (like e.g. US or European donor agencies or state-owned enterprises from China). The second thread of discussions addressed the often unanticipated ways in which everyday practices (e.g. in households or small enterprises) respond to changing energy policies. In contrast to the widespread expectation that energy systems could be governed in a comprehensive and systematic way, the empirical insights discussed at the workshop rather illustrated the multiple ways in which long-term strategies usually are superimposed and constrained by more ad-hoc and partly unintended dynamics. This certainly not only holds for African contexts, but the workshop demonstrated that there are distinct regional patterns in governance arrangements and some of these distinct realities are not yet properly reflected in scholarly analyses of energy governance.
The rich insights from the Accra workshop prompted us to propose a Special Issue under the title “The Governance of Sustainable Energy Transitions in the Global South”. The proposed collection of papers also strives to address some critical questions
The overall objective of this collection therefore is to motivate scholars to study the governance of SETs across the Global South and North.
Submission Instructions
Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have carefully read the submission guidelines for Energy, Sustainability and Society. The complete manuscript should be submitted through the Energy, Sustainability and Society submission system. To ensure that you submit to the correct thematic series please select the appropriate thematic series in the drop-down menu upon submission. In addition, indicate within your cover letter that you wish your manuscript to be considered as part of the thematic series on 'The Governance of Sustainable Energy Transitions in the Global South'. All submissions will undergo rigorous peer review and accepted articles will be published within the journal as a collection.
Lead Guest Editor
Philipp Späth, University of Freiburg, Germany
Guest Editors
Vanesa Castán Broto, University of Sheffield, UK
Simon Bawakyillenuo, University of Ghana, Ghana
Michael Pregernig, University of Freiburg, Germany
Submissions will also benefit from the usual advantages of open access publication:
- Rapid publication: Online submission, electronic peer review and production make the process of publishing your article simple and efficient
- High visibility and international readership in your field: Open access publication ensures high visibility and maximum exposure for your work - anyone with online access can read your article
- No space constraints: Publishing online means unlimited space for figures, extensive data and video footage
- Authors retain copyright, licensing the article under a Creative Commons license: articles can be freely redistributed and reused as long as the article is correctly attributed
For editorial enquiries please contact editorial@energsustainsoc.com.
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