An Anatomy of Failure : China’s Wind Power Development

• China is currently the world’s largest installer of wind power. However,with twice the installed wind capacity compared to the United States in 2015, theChinese produce less power. The question is: Why is this the case? This article showsthat Chinese grid connectivity is low, Chinese firms have few international patents,and that export is low even though production capacity far exceeds domesticproduction needs. Using the tools of Austrian economics, China’s wind powerdevelopment from 1980 to 2016 is documented and analyzed from three angles:(a) planning and knowledge problems, (b) unproductive entrepreneurship, and (c)bureaucracy and government policy. From a theoretical standpoint, both a planningproblem and an entrepreneurial problem are evident where governmental policiescreate misallocation of resources and a hampering of technological development.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Nationalekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Economics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Economics

Nationalekonomi

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)