The Political Culture of Wind Power Development in Southern Mexico

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Drs. Cymene Howe and Dominic Boyer (Rice University) will study the political culture of wind power development in Mexico. Although the transition from carbon fuels to cleaner energy is widely regarded as one of the most pressing environmental and social challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, it remains unclear how energy transition goals can be achieved, especially when dominant economic and social policies across the world often question the legitimacy and effectiveness of government-led development.This project's central research question is whether contemporary states, especially those already struggling to meet their governmental obligations, possess the political authority to implement important programs of national development such as renewable energy. The research focuses on Mexico, a country that has been deeply impacted by economic globalization and neoliberal policy since the early 1980s, and that has experienced significant recent declines in oil production. In response, the Mexican government has outlined an ambitious plan to develop renewable energy resources over the next 15 years. Wind power is a centerpiece of this plan owing to excellent wind resources in the southern state of Oaxaca. Drs. Howe and Boyer will complete 16 months of field research in Mexico in 2012 and 2013 using interviews, participant-observation, focus groups, archival research and two community surveys. The project's research hypotheses focus on the interactions between four major stakeholders in wind power development - state and federal government officials, Oaxacan communities, transnational energy corporations, and media organizations. The primary objectives of the study are (1) to map the interactions between these stakeholders, (2) to identify instances of contention, cooperation and brokerage among them, and (3) to identify assertions and relations of political authority in order to determine what set of interests and considerations are ultimately driving the process of wind power development. The study will generate uniquely rich ethnographic data on the political culture and processes of renewable energy development in Mexico that will inform scientific research and policy debates on attempts to transition to renewable energy internationally.