Articles

Implications of independence: an analysis of the relationship between energy independence and globalization in OECD nations

Gottesdiener, Ben

Dependence on foreign energy both constrains a state’s ability to act independently in
the international system and increases its vulnerability to other state and non-state actors.
Moreover, one of the major oil-supplying regions, the Middle East, continues to be
extremely politically unstable, further contributing to the vulnerability associated with
dependence on foreign energy. Today, with many states refocusing political capital into
the goal of energy independence, it is increasingly important for scholars to understand
the consequences of energy independence upon state behavior. This study seeks to explain
how differing levels of energy independence affect a state’s level of global engagement.
I have quantified energy independence for the Organization of Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) countries in order to statistically analyze the possible
relationship between energy independence and political and economic globalization. To
the extent that global engagement provides states with some remedy to the vulnerability
linked to their energy dependence, I hypothesize that as countries are increasingly
energy independent, they are likely to be both increasingly politically and economically
disengaged in the international arena. The statistical analysis supports these hypotheses.

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Also Published In

Title
The Journal of Politics and Society

More About This Work

Academic Units
Helvidius Group
Publisher
Helvidius Group of Columbia University
Published Here
November 1, 2014