Dynamics of Nuclear Energy Policies in India: A Case Study on the Emergence of Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority

Abstract

This study analyses the dynamics of nuclear energy policies in India by using Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) and examines the emergence of India’s Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (NSRA) bill as an outcome of punctuation of policy equilibrium. In doing so, the initial part of the study focuses on origin, diffusion and antecedents of independent regulatory agencies (IRAs) to position PET as a theoretical framework, and in the latter part, we analyse the phenomenon of the emergence of the NSRA bill in light of PET. The study finds that the dynamics of nuclear energy policies in India follow a pattern inscribed in the PET and the emergence of NSRA bill can be ascribed to the punctuation of a long sustaining policy equilibrium maintained from 1948 to 2010. The active engagement of multiple policy venues such as the Parliament and the judiciary, an unprecedented level of public protest and increased media attention triggered by the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident in 2011 catalysed the end of an equilibrium and compelled the policymakers to introduce a bill for establishing an independent regulatory agency, that is, NSRA, to oversee nuclear safety in India.