Mar. 04 - Mar. 08 2024; 10th week of the winter semester.

I am slowly catching up on my reflection blog posts (with all my MPP degree requirements finished). It has been a busy winter, spring, and summer season for me. I have taken notes throughout the year so it is somewhat easy to be doing this.

Power and Protest

In our PPOL607: Politics and Strategy class, we explored the impact of Power and Protest on shaping legal and legislative tactics. We discussed the interruption of Jason Kenney’s 2019 Global Petroleum Show speech by a protester who managed to articulate his message despite being manhandled. Qualities that seem essential for impactful protest, even if individual incidents may not lead to policy changes.

While this particular protest didn’t result in direct action, it reflects a broader pattern: social movements rarely hinge on single events. Instead, collective efforts over time can lead to impactful legal and legislative outcomes. It’s the accumulation of these actions that gradually shifts public perception and influences policy discussions, illustrating how resilience in protest can serve as a foundation for long-term change.

We wrapped up with an insightful guest panel on influence and tactics, featuring key Alberta political staffers who shared their perspectives on influencing policy within the province.

Game Theory

I’ve always found game theory fascinating, especially from movies and general discussions, but exploring it academically has been a new experience for me. In PPOL609: Decision Analysis we discussed the versatility of game theory tools and application scenarios involving uncertainty, especially where strategic interaction is a factor. Unlike cost-benefit analysis or standard decision-making models, which are more deterministic and straightforward, game theory looks at scenarios where the actions of multiple players impact each other's outcomes. This strategic interaction is critical in understanding many policy and negotiation decisions, where anticipating and reacting to others' choices can lead to different outcomes.

Central to game theory is the Nash equilibrium, a powerful concept developed by John Nash that represents a state where no player has anything to gain by changing only their own strategy. This equilibrium helps us predict likely choices in a given situation, guiding us to the optimal strategy based on others' likely actions. However, the Nash equilibrium has its limitations: there may be multiple equilibria or none at all in certain games, and understanding which is “better” can be complex. In some cases, behavioral economics is useful in clarifying human decisions that don’t follow strictly rational paths.

US Climate Policy

In our SDEV633: Energy and Climate Policy class, we examined the evolution of U.S. climate policy and the implications of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA); the largest federal legislation ever enacted to address climate change.

Historically, U.S. climate policy has struggled with bipartisan support, marked by significant setbacks, such as the failure of Clinton’s BTU tax in 1993, the Senate’s overwhelming rejection of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, and the defeat of cap-and-trade in 2010. In the 2010s, U.S. climate efforts pivoted to regulatory measures under Obama’s Climate Action Plan, which led to initiatives like vehicle greenhouse gas standards and the Clean Power Plan. However, these faced resistance, culminating in the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to limit EPA authority.

The IRA represents a shift, focusing on incentives (“carrots”) rather than penalties (“sticks”), and offers a 10-year suite of tax credits, loans, and grants to stimulate renewable energy investments. This "technology-neutral" approach emphasizes clean energy production, with enhanced credits based on labor standards and investment in distressed communities. The Act provides tax credits for home energy improvements, such as heat pumps and insulation, alongside significant rebates for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. It also targets industrial policy, funding research, domestic manufacturing, and critical mineral supply chains.

Despite its scale, the IRA faces barriers to effective implementation. Key challenges include securing domestic mineral supply chains, expanding administrative capacity, and reforming permitting processes. Additionally, the transition requires careful strategies for fossil-fuel-dependent communities to avoid economic disruption.

*Photo:  Waterton Park in Waterton Lakes National Park, AB Jul. 16/22.

Summit photo