reducing energy subsidies in china, india and russia dilemmas for decision makers减少能源补贴在中国、印度和俄罗斯决策者的难题.pdfVIP

Sustainability 2010, 2, 475-493; doi:10.3390/su2020475 OPEN ACCESS sustainability ISSN 2071-1050 /journal/sustainability Article Reducing Energy Subsidies in China, India and Russia: Dilemmas for Decision Makers Grant Dansie 1, Marc Lanteigne 2 and Indra Overland 1,3,* 1 Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), PB 8159 Dep., 0033 Oslo, Norway; E-Mail: grant.dansie@nupi.no 2 University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9AJ, Scotland, UK; E-Mail: ml80@st-andrews.ac.uk 3 University of Tromso, 9037 Tromso, Norway * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ino@nupi.no; Tel.: +47-22-99-40-51; Fax: +47-22-36-21-82. Received: 18 December 2009 / Accepted: 26 January 2010 / Published: 1 February 2010 Abstract: This article examines and compares efforts to reduce energy subsidies in China, India and Russia. Despite dissimilarities in forms of governance, these three states have followed surprisingly similar patterns in reducing energy subsidies, characterised by two steps forward, one step back. Non-democratic governments and energy importers might be expected to be more likely to halt subsidies. In fact, the degree of democracy and status as net energy exporters or importers does not seem to significantly affect these countries’ capacity to reduce subsidies, as far as can be judged from the data in this article. Politicians in all three fear that taking unpopular decisions may provoke social unrest. Keywords: energy subsidies; politics; China; India; Russia 1.