TY - JOUR
T1 - Large hydropower and legitimacy: A policy regime analysis, applied to Myanmar
AU - Foran, Tira
AU - Kiik, Laur
AU - Hatt, Sullivan
AU - Fullbrook, David
AU - Dawkins, Alice
AU - Walker, Simon
AU - Chen, Yun
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Hydropower development in capacity-constrained countries can unfold through unsound policy arguments, narrow institutional and implementing arrangements, and ad hoc decision making processes. To derive insights for more legitimate policy making, we provide the first holistic account of Myanmar's legitimation struggles over large hydropower, focusing on Myitsone, the country's most controversial dam, during the period 2003-2011. Our analysis takes a policy regime perspective (specifically, a "political economic regime of provisioning" framework). Among our findings: (1) frequent use of non-rationally persuasive argument among contending actors; (2) a spiral of declining policy legitimacy, which is amplified by civil society mobilization, and halted by a 2011 decision to suspend Myitsone; (3) rejection of Myitsone but conditional acceptance of large hydropower among some elements of civil society. Opportunity and capability for more technically informed, inclusive discussion exists in Myanmar, but given hydropower's complexities, urgently deserves to be augmented. Although Myitsone in Myanmar is an exceptional case, we offer three propositions to assess and improve policy legitimacy of hydropower.
AB - Hydropower development in capacity-constrained countries can unfold through unsound policy arguments, narrow institutional and implementing arrangements, and ad hoc decision making processes. To derive insights for more legitimate policy making, we provide the first holistic account of Myanmar's legitimation struggles over large hydropower, focusing on Myitsone, the country's most controversial dam, during the period 2003-2011. Our analysis takes a policy regime perspective (specifically, a "political economic regime of provisioning" framework). Among our findings: (1) frequent use of non-rationally persuasive argument among contending actors; (2) a spiral of declining policy legitimacy, which is amplified by civil society mobilization, and halted by a 2011 decision to suspend Myitsone; (3) rejection of Myitsone but conditional acceptance of large hydropower among some elements of civil society. Opportunity and capability for more technically informed, inclusive discussion exists in Myanmar, but given hydropower's complexities, urgently deserves to be augmented. Although Myitsone in Myanmar is an exceptional case, we offer three propositions to assess and improve policy legitimacy of hydropower.
U2 - 10.1016/j.enpol.2017.08.043
DO - 10.1016/j.enpol.2017.08.043
M3 - Article
SN - 0301-4215
VL - 110
SP - 619
EP - 630
JO - Energy Policy
JF - Energy Policy
ER -