GRA 8528 Energy Governance, Law, Policy & Regulations (2023/2024)

GRA 8528 Energy Governance, Law, Policy & Regulations (2023/2024)

Course code: 
GRA 8528
Department: 
Law and Governance
Credits: 
5
Course coordinator: 
Nick Sitter
Course name in Norwegian: 
Energy Governance, Law, Policy & Regulations (2023/2024)
Product category: 
Executive
Portfolio: 
EMME - EMM specialisation in Energy
Semester: 
2023 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
Associate course
Course codes for multi- or associated courses
Course codeSemester
GRA 8529
2023 Autumn
GRA 8530
2024 Spring
Introduction

This course is part of the Executive Master of Management in Energy in cooperation with BI Norwegian Business School and IFP School.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

The objective of this course is to give an introduction to energy policy, law and regulation and the challenges that governments and politicians face in the context of energy transition toward a low-carbon sustainable economy. The course explores how companies are subject to and deal with various form of political intervention, from public ownership to regulation, and how international oil and gas markets change. It examines the challenges that geopolitical, technological and supply and demand developments present for governments and firms, how energy policy (at the international, EU and national) level is designed, and how states and international organizations use law and regulation to build and shape markets , cope with energy security and manage the green transition. The course discusses the policy implications of approaching energy as a public, private and strategic good; and the strengths and weaknesses of different types of energy governance and policy tools. A range of empirical cases are used to explore these themes.

Acquired knowledge:
Participants will acquire an understanding of how national and international economic and political frameworks and governance mechanisms influence the energy industry and markets, with an emphasis on the challenges to energy policy makers and energy market regulators. This includes policy tools such as direct government intervention, state ownership and arms-length regulation, including the EU's efforts to build markets and make them operate efficiently.

Learning outcomes - Skills

The course will enable the participants to understand energy markets and the energy business, including the need to regulate markets form a public policy perspective, both in terms of market failures (including the positive and negative externalities of energy production and consumption, competition policy and natural monopolies) and boarder political goals linked to economic stability, social justice, sustainability and security. They will be able to understand the motives and methods for energy policy making, assess the effectiveness of policy tools, and evaluate the trade-offs and dilemmas involved.

General Competence

The participants will be able to reflect on the political, technological, economic, trade, environmental and security challenges that different countries and organizations in the energy market face, and the ways governments, companies and international organizations in major regions try to deal with these challenges.

Course content
  • Energy in political economy: a private, public and strategic good (with important negative externalities – pollution).
  • Public governance in the energy sector: actors and policy tools (law, regulation, finance, ownership), interest group politics, national oil companies, governance.
  • Energy and international political economy: economic rent, supply and demand, geo-politics and geo-economics
  • Energy security in oil and gas markets: Price risks, supply risks, public policy tools
  • Oil markets: Global market, fungible product; national and company strategies
  • Gas markets: Regional markets, bilateral deals, geopolitics, pipeline diplomacy, EU energy and competition law 
  • Energy, security and governance: security threats, the resource curse, resource conflicts, public and private policy tools
  • Global governance, geo-economics, and energy transition: the WTO regime and climate clubs
Teaching and learning activities

1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. 

Sessions include lectures, seminars and group work (and presentations), in the classroom and on-line. 

Attendance to all sessions in the course is compulsory. If you have to miss part(s) of the course you must ask in advance for leave of absence. More than 25% absence in a course will require retaking the entire course. It's the student's own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/ It's learning or other course materials.

Specific information regarding student evaluation beyond the information given in the course description will be provided in class.

The course is a part of a full Executive Master of Management in Energy (EMME) and examination in all courses must be passed in order to obtain a certificate.

In all BI Executive courses and programmes, there is a mutual requirement  
for the student and the course responsible regarding the involvement of the student's experience in the planning and implementation of courses, modules and programmes. This means that the student has the right and duty to get involved with their own knowledge and practice relevance, through the active sharing of their relevant experience and knowledge

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications

Granted admission to the Executive Master of Management in Energy programme. Please consult our student regulations.

Required prerequisite knowledge

Students should be familiar with the readings and references for the course Energy economics and geopolitics.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
70
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
4 Week(s)
Comment: 
The students are evaluated through an individual course paper, counting 70% of the final grade.
Exam code: 
GRA 85281
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
30
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 6)
Duration: 
4 Week(s)
Comment: 
The students are evaluated through written submission in groups, counting 30% of the final grade.
Exam code: 
GRA 85282
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Teaching
40 Hour(s)
Student's own work with learning resources
95 Hour(s)
Sum workload: 
135

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 135 hours.