The Politics of Energy Efficiency in Japan

We will consider the political context of energy policy in Japan since the 1970s oil shocks.  I will argue that political arrangements in Japan after World War II made it attractive for politicians to pursue energy conservation by making energy, particularly for automobile transportation and electricity usage, expensive for the average Japanese citizen.  The revenues and economic rents created by various fees, taxes, and regulations to promote energy conservation were redistributed to core supporters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.  These political arrangements have come under challenge in recent years, calling into question Japan's traditional approach towards energy conservation.

Speaker: Phillip Lipscy, Stanford