{"product_id":"9781464810077","title":"Political Economy of Energy Subsidy Reform","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"This book proposes a simple framework for understanding the political economy of subsidy reform and\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eapplies it to four in-depth country studies covering more than 30 distinct episodes of reform.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFive key lessons emerge. First, energy subsidies often follow a life cycle, beginning as a way to stabilize prices\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand reduce exposure to price volatility for low-income consumers. However, as they grow in size and political\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003epower, they become entrenched. Second, subsidy reform strategies vary because the underlying political\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eeconomy problems vary. When benefits are concentrated, satisfying (or isolating) interest groups with\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ealternative policies is an important condition for effective reform. When benefits are diffuse, it can be much\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eharder to identify and manage the political coalition needed for reform. Third, governments vary in their\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eadministrative and political capacities to implement difficult energy subsidy reforms. Fourth, improvements\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ein social protection systems are often critical to the success of reforms because they make it possible to\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003etarget assistance to those most in need. Finally, the most interesting cases involve governments that take a\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003estrategic approach to the challenges of political economy. In these settings, fixing energy subsidies is central\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eto the governments’ missions of retaining political power and reorganizing how the government delivers\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebenefits to the population. These cases are examples of “reform engineering,†? where governments actively\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eseek to create the capacity to implement alternative policies, depoliticize tariffs, and build credibility around\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ealternative policies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe most successful reforms involve active efforts by policy leaders to identify the political forces supporting\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eenergy subsidies and redirect or inoculate them.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Bank Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47045286035696,"sku":"9781464810077","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781464810077_p0.jpg?v=1763683082","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781464810077","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}