"International peer reviews of fossil fuel subsidies" [2019] ELECD 2068; in Rive, J.C. Vernon (ed), "Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019) 203

Book Title: Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform

Editor(s): Rive, J.C. Vernon

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Section: Chapter 8

Section Title: International peer reviews of fossil fuel subsidies

Number of pages: 31

Abstract/Description:

This chapter focuses on what are currently the most developed international initiatives for fossil fuel subsidy reform - pilot voluntary peer review (VPR) exercises within the G20 and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). A focus of this chapter is the development of international peer-review frameworks, often regarded as an element of so-called 'Experimentalist Governance', 'New Governance', or ‘global pluralist governance’ processes. A feature of the chapter is an empirical study of eight VPRs that have taken place under G20 and APEC arrangements between 2014 and 2018 for which documentation is publicly available, covering four peer reviews under the G20 process (China, United States (US), Mexico and Germany) and four under the APEC process (Peru, New Zealand, Philippines and Chinese-Taipei). The results of a high-level audit of all eight VPRs are presented, including quantitative and preliminary qualitative assessments of the outcomes of peer reviews of a total of 78 consumption and production support measures, categorised into six broad outcome scenarios. The overall conclusion is that IPR can be a useful tool in encouraging and facilitating fossil fuel subsidy reform but the mechanism has a number of limits. A principal shortcoming is the absence of a common (pre-) agreed normative framework which has resulted in ambiguity in subject matter and evaluative criteria.