Measuring energy security: from universal indicators to contextualized frameworks

A. Cherp & J. Jewell. (2011). Measuring energy security: from universal indicators to contextualized frameworks. The Routledge Handbook of Energy Security. 330-355. (B. K. Sovacool, Ed.). Routledge. Gated. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203834602. Preprint.

The current debate on measuring energy security is largely focused on finding the “right” indicators. In the recent special issue on energy security in Energy Policy, six of the eight articles were directly related to indicator development and energy security quantification. 1 Given the complexity of energy security, it is understandable that researchers and policymakers alike seek quantification which can simplify and cut through this complexity. However, in this chapter we will argue that much more attention should be given to the process of indicator identification and application as well as to the underlying assumptions and perspectives that shape this process. Thus our discussion starts with the inherent choices and trade-offs surrounding indicator selection which are generally inexplicit and unstated in the literature.