Upcoming Events
MS Project Presentation - Environmental Science and Policy
Dec 11, 2023, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Hybrid:
David King Hall 3006
Zoom - contact the ESP Grad Office at espgrad@gmu.edu for info to join
MS Project
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
College of Science
George Mason University
Candidate: Ashley McKenna Robertson
Date and Time: December 11, 2023 at 9:00AM
Location: Hybrid - David King Hall 3006 and Zoom
Title: Spotlight on Stakeholders: Influence and Power Dynamics in South Korean Solar Energy Policy (2017 – 2022)
Thesis Director: Dr. Jennifer F. Sklarew
Committee: Dr. Ted Hsuan Yun Chen, Dr. Thomas Kalinowski
ABSTRACT
Despite South Korea’s climate policies focused on lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increasing renewables generation, they continue to rely on non-renewables for almost all energy needs. The environmentally-minded Moon Jae-in presidency (2017 – 2022) focused on renewables’ implementation, particularly solar energy. Nevertheless, influential organizations have cemented structures and actors to protect the energy status quo. Thus, the research identifies influential organizations and how they shaped national solar energy policy during the Moon administration. Through semi-structured qualitative interviews and document analysis, influential organizations and methods were identified and analyzed within solar energy policy. This research contributes novel metrics to measure influence, new insights on influential actors and their influence methods, and previously unidentified policy actor networks in South Korean solar energy policy at the theory-building in the literature.
