Swiss Energy Governance: Political, Economic and Legal Challenges and Opportunities in the Energy Transition

This open access book gathers the results of an interdisciplinary research project led by the Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research (SCCER CREST) and jointly implemented by several universities. It identifies political, economic and legal challenges and opportunities in the energy transition from a governance perspective by exploring a variety of tools that allow state, non-state and transnational actors to manage the transition of the energy industry toward less fossil-fuel reliance. When analyzing the roles of these actors, the authors examine not only formal procedures such as political and democratic processes, but also market behavior and societal practices. In other words, the handbook focuses on both the behavior and the positive and normative frameworks of political actors, bureaucracies, courts, international organizations, lobby groups, civil society, economic actors and individuals. The authors subsequently use their findings to formulate specific guidelines for lawmakers and other rule-makers, as well as private and public actors. To do so, they draw on approaches stemming from the legal, political and management sciences.

​Peter Hettich is a Professor of Economic Regulation and Antitrust Law at the Law School of the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). His research focuses on risk regulation, infrastructure law (energy, telecommunications, postal services, internet, media), state owned enterprises, spatial planning law, as well as environmental law. He holds a Ph.D. in Antitrust Law from the University of St. Gallen and a LL.M. of the Columbia University School of Law (New York). From 2017 to 2021, he was a co-leader of the Energy Governance Work Package in the the Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research, Society and Transition (SCCER CREST).

Aya Kachi is Associate Professor of international Political Economy and Energy Policy at the Faculty of Business and Economics, the University of Basel. Her areas of expertise include statistical methodology, international political economy, and policy communication. Her research seeks to help people understand policy acceptance risks, focusing on opinion-formation and decision-making by voters and special interest groups. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illin-ois, Urbana-Champaign, M.A. in Economics from Duke University, and B.A. in Economics from the University of Tokyo. From 2017 to 2021, she served as a co-leader of the Energy Governance Work Package in the the Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research, Society and Transition (SCCER CREST).