State capitalism, fragmented authoritarianism, and the politics of energy policymaking: Policy networks and electricity market liberalization in Guangdong, China

Abstract

Studying the politics of energy policymaking is crucial for understanding how energy policies are formulated and the factors that influence their development. This study focuses on policy networks which play an important role in energy policymaking. Analyzing policy networks can help unveil the politics of energy policymaking, especially by identifying powerful actors and their agendas. This study examined energy policy networks with regard to electricity market liberalization (EML) in China. We examined the composition, functions, and limitations of energy policy networks. We argued that, situated within the political economy of state capitalism and fragmented authoritarianism, independent stakeholders are marginalized from networked energy policymaking, which is dominated by state-owned companies and government actors. Consequently, the development of EML policy has produced biases that have undermined the objectives EML aims to achieve, such as introducing independent actors to reduce the dominance of state-owned enterprises and removing government intervention in pricing. The findings suggest that EML reform in China can benefit from adopting more inclusive policy networks and soliciting the opinions of heterogeneous stakeholders.