Produced by The Berkeley Electronic Press. Energy Policy: Concepts, Actors, Instruments and Recent Developments

The article analyses the specific features of energy policy-making, by exploring the relevant dimensions of the matters and the interdependence between energy policy and other sectors. A recognition of the evolution of energy policy – and of the policy change which occurred in recent years – is provided, as a starting point for applying the tools of policy studies to the analysis of energy policy-making. Two different types are then identified: the external policy-making concerning security matters; and the internal policy-making concerning organizational and market-related issues. It will be seen that each type of policy-making is characterized by a particular policy sub-system with its own actors, instruments, arenas and dynamics