Nuclear Power Policies in Britain: The Quandaries of Neoliberalism(Anthem Studies in British History)

Nuclear power is a most fascinating research object; technological by nature, it involves a socio-cultural imagery embedded in the broader framework of a country’s societal and political traditions and practices. The aims of Nuclear Power Policies in Britain are twofold, being both empirical and theoretical: on the one hand, it tackles the debates, factors or issues bewildering nuclear decisions in the UK, and, on the other, it addresses the broader question of government leverage and governance in today’s neoliberal context. Analysing the current British nuclear policy ignites a broader discussion about the abilities and leverage of the state to spur innovation and influence techno-political decisions in a neoliberal context; Neoliberalism is thus used as both a theoretical framework and a normative political doctrine. This book delves into a much topical and critical facet of today’s British politics, opening up inroads into a wide range of fundamental questions regarding public policy dynamics, the critical function of energy choices, the roles of the public in national industrial projects and the impact of international regulation on national constraints.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements; List of Abbreviations; List of Graphs, Tables and Figures; Introduction; Part I Agenda-Setting, Chapter One The British Nuclear State: An Anatomy; Chapter Two The Discursive (De) politicisation of Nuclear Power; Part II Policy-Design, Chapter Three The UK Nuclear Renaissance: Towards a New Paradigm for Experts/Citizens/Politics Relations; Part III Policy Implementation, Chapter Four Transcending the Private–Public Nexus in Reviving the British Nuclear Industry; Chapter Five Nuclear as a Transboundary Object: The Weight of Subnational and Supranational Dynamics; Chapter Six The State and Energy Markets: Neoliberal Interventionism in Market Regulation; Selected Bibliography; Index

About the Author :
Lucie de Carvalho is a senior lecturer in British Politics and History at the University of Lille, France. Her research focuses on State governance and Britain’s energy and environmental policies since 1979.

Review :
‘In our energy-starved world, this book provides a timely and fascinating study of the politics of nuclear power in the UK, which combines scholarly mastery, sophisticated argumentation and a powerful thesis. The author successfully turns a complex, under-researched and seemingly forbidding topic into a highly stimulating, enjoyable read.’ —Emmanuelle Avril, Professor of Contemporary Politics and Society, Sorbonne Nouvelle University. ‘Guiding the reader through the key turning points in the seven-decades-long journey of nuclear power in the UK, Lucie Carvalho masterly demonstrates the interrelatedness of state power and nuclear power. The fortunes of nuclear power have been at the mercy of shifting governance fashions, while the nuclear sector has in turn decisively shaped the evolution of UK governance, from the post-war state-centrism, through the Thatcherite revolution, to today’s complex hybrid governance’ —Dr Markku Lehtonen Researcher, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. ‘The UK nuclear renaissance is one of the most intriguing enigmas of the energy sector in the last twenty years. Why did the UK government choose to support this contested energy? Why did it accept to cover the extra costs and the market risk in a country dominated by a liberal energy policy? In this book, Lucie de Carvalho solves this enigma by in-depth investigation of decision-making in UK energy policy’ —Thomas Reverdy, Professor of Sociology, Université Grenoble Alpes, PACTE, CNRS, Grenoble INP Graduate School of Engineering and Management. Nuclear Power Policies in Britain is not about the science or technology of nuclear energy. Rather, it is a densely written political science doctoral thesis on the important societal decision-making processes of governmental and market forces in Great Britain and the contrasts between the two modes. The key question is how and why did British society oscillate between supporting and denigrating civilian nuclear power. This question unfolds within the theoretical and practical context of neoliberalism, which curtails the ability of the state to innovate technological solutions and assert policy programs. Nonscientists will be interested by the history of the concurrent development of nuclear weapons and nuclear electricity in the UK, as well as the nation's drive to fulfill the motto "Britain leads the world" and the resulting "war of the reactors" between British and foreign-designed reactors. The book has occasional lapses of good English writing style. - A. M. Saperstein, emeritus, Wayne State University