The focus has predominantly been on Southeast Asian countries like Japan and China. Meanwhile, such South Asian countries as India, Indonesia, and Pakistan, which are important from the point of view of understanding the processes of modernization, are undeservedly overlooked. Academics have maintained the necessity to study intangible cultural heritage, citing a new global context marked by a growing urban population and a changing climate as justification. UNESCO has also recognized the value of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) since 2003. Nonetheless, the link between ICH and green energy transition discourses is new. The aim of this study is to analyze how the intangible cultural heritage of Indian civilization affects the energy sector and to which conclusion it leads. Specifically, the paper is trying to expand on focusing on the clean energy sector in India. A systematic literature review (SLR) and the quantitative research method were used to answer the research questions in this work. Considerations for future approaches to ICH and the green energy sector are presented.

2024 / This dissertation consists of three essays (papers) on the distributional politics of green energy transition in Europe. The first paper contributes to the existing literature on climate finance by arguing that governments may choose to use consumer-funded policies as a way to circumvent the state budget and budgetary scrutiny. The paper also explains why these policies turn into a contentious practice over time even though they were initially seen as a practical way to finance energy transition policies without draining the state budget. The second paper explores why governments handle the distributional politics of consumer-funded policies differently. It argues that when faced with rising costs and opposition, governments respond with different distributive strategies to ensure the political acceptance of energy policies transition by spreading the cost and benefits of green energy transition across different consumer and producer groups such as households, industrial consumers and renewable energy producers. These strategies include economization, redistribution, and compensation. This research explains differences in the mixed use of distributive strategies by governments in Germany and the UK by analyzing the two dimensions of public choice dynamics: i) the partisanship structures of ruling political parties, and ii) the relative strength of organized interests of renewable energy producers and consumer groups. The paper three offers an institutional complementary to the second paper by studying the path-dependent dynamics of green energy transition policies in the context of renewable subsidies. More specifically, it seeks to explain why degression of renewable subsidies is more difficult in some countries than others. Using large-n cross national data and case study analysis, it argues that in countries where political institutions diffuse power over a broader array of actors, both horizontally and hierarchically, it becomes more difficult to roll back renewable subsidies once they are given. The paper shows that in such countries the renewable sector for solar power was better able to defend its interests thanks to their interest representation at different institutional levels, making it more challenging for the government to take back subsidies. This paper also offers a discussion on the advantages of different political institutional arrangements in determining the reform capacity of states and the importance of informal rules in the strength of political institutions. / 2026-02-10T00:00:00Z

In recent decades, there has been a growing recognition of Indigenous rights over traditional territories and natural resources, alongside the intensification of extractive activities on Indigenous lands, often in violation of their rights.The paradox is driven by several factors, including escalating global commodity prices, energy security concerns, and the shift towards green energy. While Sweden has long been known for promoting human rights and environmental standards, the exploitation of rare earth metals in Kiruna has emerged as a significant priority on the Swedish political agenda. These metals are crucial for producing green energy technologies and advancing green energy transition in the country as well as Europe. However, mining rare earth metals in Kiruna raises concerns about the impact on the traditional ways of life of the Sámi Indigenous people, who rely on these territories for their survival and cultural identity. The Sámi people have a deep connection to the land and are greatly affected by environmental changes, including mining activities in their territories. This thesis aims to explore the role of the Sámi Indigenous people in the decision-making process of the Per Geijer expansion of Kiruna mine. Considering the significant priority given to advancing the green energy transition, a critical question arises whether the green energy transition is truly “green” if it requires sacrificing the cultural heritage of the Sámi Indigenous communities in the area.  By employing various perspectives and drawing on environmental justice and interactive governance theories, this thesis aims to shed light on this complex intersection of mining, Indigenous rights, and the pursuit of sustainability, with a particular emphasis on the social sustainability implications.