The policy and institutional effects of contentious politics in Costa Rica's energy sector

Abstract

Costa Rica has championed a state-led electricity model premised on hydroelectric power. This has enabled the country to produce a reliable energy supply with universal coverage, that is renewable and low-carbon. However, in recent years the state company, ICE, has seen its autonomy and predominance diminish and its megaproject-dependent model questioned. Social movements contributed to the enthronement of ICE as an agent of national development and a source of energy sovereignty but have also mobilized at various points to check its power. This paper examines how structural factors and domestic and international economic constraints have altered the relative power of these actors to translate their preferences into policy and institutional effects in the Costa Rican electricity sector.