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Path development politics : contesting regional hydrogen economies in Northern Europe

Eadson, Will and de Leeuw, Georgia LU orcid (2025) In Geoforum 167.
Abstract
This article uses empirical investigation of regional hydrogen investments and strategies in Northern Europe to develop a new conceptual approach to regional industrial path development which foregrounds politics and power as explanatory factors in understanding the logics, processes and outcomes of path development. This conceptualisation departs from Evolutionary Economic Geography approaches to industrial change through its focus on path development as political process. We build from and advance Geographic Political Economy approaches to path development to outline a multi-faceted conceptualisation of path development politics encompassing institutional, material, cultural and civil-welfare politics which entwine to shape and produce... (More)
This article uses empirical investigation of regional hydrogen investments and strategies in Northern Europe to develop a new conceptual approach to regional industrial path development which foregrounds politics and power as explanatory factors in understanding the logics, processes and outcomes of path development. This conceptualisation departs from Evolutionary Economic Geography approaches to industrial change through its focus on path development as political process. We build from and advance Geographic Political Economy approaches to path development to outline a multi-faceted conceptualisation of path development politics encompassing institutional, material, cultural and civil-welfare politics which entwine to shape and produce different path development processes and outcomes. We argue this represents a significant expansion of existing scholarship in the field. The article also makes an important empirical contribution through original international analysis of hydrogen developments in European regions, a highly topical area of research which has not yet been treated to detailed international comparative analysis. It finds that the four modes of politics identified are critical to understanding how ‘hydrogenated path development’ is taking shape. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
path development, hydrogen, energy geographies, geographic political economy, industrial change, politics
in
Geoforum
volume
167
article number
104470
pages
14 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:105023063569
ISSN
1872-9398
DOI
10.1016/j.geoforum.2025.104470
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8f7c64ae-7131-46bc-86a0-744c08089df7
date added to LUP
2025-11-19 15:11:25
date last changed
2025-12-19 04:00:45
@article{8f7c64ae-7131-46bc-86a0-744c08089df7,
  abstract     = {{This article uses empirical investigation of regional hydrogen investments and strategies in Northern Europe to develop a new conceptual approach to regional industrial path development which foregrounds politics and power as explanatory factors in understanding the logics, processes and outcomes of path development. This conceptualisation departs from Evolutionary Economic Geography approaches to industrial change through its focus on path development as political process. We build from and advance Geographic Political Economy approaches to path development to outline a multi-faceted conceptualisation of path development politics encompassing institutional, material, cultural and civil-welfare politics which entwine to shape and produce different path development processes and outcomes. We argue this represents a significant expansion of existing scholarship in the field. The article also makes an important empirical contribution through original international analysis of hydrogen developments in European regions, a highly topical area of research which has not yet been treated to detailed international comparative analysis. It finds that the four modes of politics identified are critical to understanding how ‘hydrogenated path development’ is taking shape.}},
  author       = {{Eadson, Will and de Leeuw, Georgia}},
  issn         = {{1872-9398}},
  keywords     = {{path development; hydrogen; energy geographies; geographic political economy; industrial change; politics}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Geoforum}},
  title        = {{Path development politics : contesting regional hydrogen economies in Northern Europe}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2025.104470}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.geoforum.2025.104470}},
  volume       = {{167}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}