Energy security in decision making and governance - Methodological analysis of energy trilemma index

Abstract

The main objective of the paper is to evaluate the methodological setting of the Energy Trilemma Index (developed by the respected World Energy Council), which serves as a decision-making support tool in energy policy and governance. The study included 125 countries. Energy security, as part of the national security system, is becoming an increasingly important factor in global geopolitics, thus imposing a need to develop most precise and reliable decision-making support tools as possible in this field. The Energy Trilemma Index comprises energy security, energy equity, environmental sustainability and country context. Values of Index are, in general, highest in European union and North America. The assessment of the methodological setting of Index reliability was made using a set of statistical methods: Principal Component Analysis (whose additional interpretation was carried out using the following tests: Pearson Correlation test, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity). The final assessment of reliability was made using the Cronbach's Alpha test. Based on the results of the analysis it has been established that the Energy Trilemma Index can in no way be considered reliable due to a number of disadvantages, of which the most important is the end indicator of Cronbach's Alpha value (0.694), which stands at the very margin of reliability (0.600). Bearing in mind the significance of the energy security policy, the research results have a significant policy implication: the Energy Trilemma Index cannot be considered reliable for energy policy without comprehensive methodological improvements.