Clean Energy Technologies for a Developmental State: A Vietnam Case Study

Abstract

Understanding how developing countries can decouple economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions is essential for achieving global net-zero aims. In the arena of economic growth theory, the developmental state model, which is based on state-directed development, has been touted by scholars for decades. While there is a lot of research on green growth and decarbonizing developing countries, it appears that there is a gap in the literature in assessing decarbonization in the context of the developmental state model. In this thesis, I address this gap by proposing and applying a framework for assessing the implications of different energy technologies for Vietnam–which is considered one of the leading examples of a developmental state today. This framework hinges on six characteristics of energy technologies that I identify which are relevant to developmental state objectives. For this project, I assess five energy technologies – solar, wind, green hydrogen, coal and gas – in terms of these characteristics to identify implications of the energy transition for Vietnam. I further research these implications by discussing them with clean technology experts and stake holders in the Vietnamese energy transition in a series of interviews. Applying my framework, I develop a potential strategy for Vietnam to decarbonize while accelerating industrial development. My analysis stresses the value of characteristics of solar and hydrogen otherwise largely undiscussed in the literature. Still, it is evident that the most significant contribution of this work, which is limited in scale, is as a demonstration project for this new framework.