Neil Simcock | The University of Manchester (original) (raw)

Papers by Neil Simcock

Fuel poverty is now widely recognised in the UK as a distinct form of social inequality and injus... more Fuel poverty is now widely recognised in the UK as a distinct form of social inequality and injustice, but exactly which energy-uses and services should be incorporated into conceptualisations of fuel poverty is rarely discussed explicitly. In this paper, we investigate how different energy-uses are portrayed as part of fuel poverty by national government and NGOs in the UK. We find that, to some degree, official definitions of
fuel poverty in the UK include multiple energy-uses. However, this is not reflected in dominant policy and NGO discourses which predominantly frame fuel poverty as solely a lack of adequate space-heating. We conclude by discussing whether non-heating energy-uses and services should be more fully recognised and incorporated into fuel poverty discourses and policy measures, identifying two areas that warrant further research and debate.

In policy and activist discourses there is often an expectation that community wind energy projec... more In policy and activist discourses there is often an expectation that community wind energy projects will avoid the conflicts and local opposition often associated with private-developer-led developments. However, the empirical validity of this assertion has not been widely investigated. In previous research on private-developer wind projects, the fairness of decision-making processes ('procedural justice') during project implementation has been identified as an important factor in shaping local acceptance, but has not been deeply studied in relation to community-led schemes. Using in-depth qualitative research of a proposed community wind project in South Yorkshire, this paper examines stakeholder interpretations of procedural justice during the design and siting of this scheme. Although the project leaders explicitly aimed for a fair and 'democratic' implementation process, considerable conflict emerged over whether this goal was achieved. The analysis shows that these conflicting views were the result, firstly, of different normative expectations of what 'procedural justice' actually meant and involved, and, secondly, of contrasting stakeholder experiences of the decision processes that were utilised. It cannot be assumed that community wind projects will always be considered procedurally just at the local level, with much resting on the details of how they are undertaken.

The consumption of energy services for everyday mobility and domestic life is a fundamental pre-c... more The consumption of energy services for everyday mobility and domestic life is a fundamental pre-condition for participating in many contemporary societies, but it can also impact upon current and future generations in ways that raise questions of equity and fairness. Whilst the field of ‘energy justice’ has become more established in recent years, much work remains to be done to further this area of study. In this lead article for a Special Issue on ‘Energy demand for mobility and domestic life: new insights from energy justice’, we begin by outlining the many interlocking issues of (in)justice raised by energy consumption for mobility and domestic services, identifying gaps in the current literature. We then describe the articles within the Special Issue, discussing these in relation to three themes: uneven access to energy and transport services; the unequal burdens of low-carbon policies; and reducing energy demand and the good society. We conclude by highlighting potential directions for future research; for example, conceptualising ‘excessive’ consumption as an issue of (in)justice, and identifying low-energy social practices and arrangements that simultaneously contribute to human well-being.

In this article we conceptualise energy use from a capabilities perspective, informed by the work... more In this article we conceptualise energy use from a capabilities perspective, informed by the work of Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum and others following them. Building on this, we suggest a corresponding definition of energy poverty, as understood in the capabilities space. We argue that such an understanding provides a theoretically coherent means of comprehending the relationship between energy and wellbeing, and thus conceptualising energy deprivation, that makes sense across settings including both the global North and South: a coherence which has previously been lacking. At the same time, it has the flexibility to be deployed in a way that is sensitive to local contexts. Understanding energy use in the capabilities space also provides a means for identifying multiple sites of intervention, including some areas that are currently largely overlooked. We argue that this is advantageous for attempts to address energy poverty in the context of climate change and imperatives for the containment of aggregate energy consumption.

Access to affordable energy is a core dimension of energy justice, with recent work examining the... more Access to affordable energy is a core dimension of energy justice, with recent work examining the relation between energy use and well-being in these terms. However, there has been relatively little examination of exactly which energy uses should be considered basic necessities within a given cultural context and so of concern for energy justice. We examine the inclusion of energy-using necessities within the outcomes of deliberative workshops within members of the public focused on defining a minimum-standard of living in the UK and repeated biannually over a six year period. Our secondary analysis shows that energy uses deemed to be necessities are diverse and plural, enabling access to multiple valued energy services, and that their profile has to some degree shifted from 2008 to 2014. The reasoning involved is multidimensional, ranging across questions of health, social participation, opportunity and practicality. We argue that public deliberations about necessities can be taken as legitimate grounding for defining minimum standards and therefore the scope of ‘doing justice’ in fuel poverty policy. However we set this in tension with how change over time reveals the escalation of norms of energy dependency in a society that on climate justice grounds must radically reduce carbon emissions.

The concept of community resilience to climate change in the UK has a diverse range of meanings a... more The concept of community resilience to climate change in the UK has a diverse range of meanings and associated activities. This review of evidence and practice explores this varied and contested field to build the evidence base and help support the development of community resilience to climate change.

Reducing household energy consumption is an essential element of the UK Government’s carbon reduc... more Reducing household energy consumption is an essential element of the UK Government’s carbon reduction strategy. Whilst increased knowledge alone will not necessarily lead to tangible actions on the part of consumers, knowledge of various kinds is, we argue, still important if domestic energy usage is to be reduced. In an attempt to ‘educate’ the public, governments have typically resorted to ‘mass information’ campaigns that have been considered largely unsuccessful. Yet understanding what alternative forms of learning could be cultivated has been limited by the dearth of research that explores whether and why people consider information about energy and energy saving to be useful. By exploring this, we can move towards an understanding of how knowledge about energy saving can be better shared and communicated, enabling more meaningful learning to take place. Drawing on in-depth qualitative data with fifty-five participants, this paper highlights a range of factors that affect perceptions of energy information. It argues that these factors are not discrete, but are interlinked. A fundamentally different model of knowledge exchange is needed for more effective learning about energy saving to occur. A number of implications for policy are proposed in our conclusions.

Local Environment

This article explores how the geographic boundaries of who could participate in the decision proc... more This article explores how the geographic boundaries of who could participate in the decision processes of two community-owned wind energy projects (WEPs) was evaluated in terms of their fairness by project leaders and local residents. In particular, it analyses the varying ways that the justice principle of “those affected by a decision have a right to be involved in making that decision” was utilised to make claims about the fairness of each boundary. In both case studies, even though this justice principle was often shared by local stakeholders, defining exactly what a “fair” boundary encompassed was problematic and strong isagreements emerged. Three factors that contributed to this disagreement are highlighted, and the significance of the findings for the implementation of community WEPs is reflected upon.

A. Davies (ed.) Enterprising Communities: Grassroots Sustainability Innovations. Bingley: Emerald Group, Jan 2012

International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home, Jan 2012

‘Community energy’ in broad terms refers to electricity and/or heat production on a small, local ... more ‘Community energy’ in broad terms refers to electricity and/or heat production on a small, local scale that may be governed by or for local people or otherwise capable of providing them with direct beneficial outcomes. In practice it encompasses a wide variety of technologies, organisational arrangements and potential outcomes, with the latter including collective economic returns, reduced fuel poverty, carbon mitigation, greater community cohesion and an increased knowledge of sustainable energy technologies. However, there are a number of challenging practical and regulatory barriers that can stand in the way of the further development of such systems. Recent experience is considered in this Chapter largely in the context of the UK and other European countries.

Talks by Neil Simcock

254894347 904190 254894347 904190 50450 !74.0/:7,:89.03 50450 !74.0/:7,:89.03 90570 90570 389,,94... more 254894347 904190 254894347 904190 50450 !74.0/:7,:89.03 50450 !74.0/:7,:89.03 90570 90570 389,,94389,0841 389,,94389,0841 .422:393/0307 .422:393/0307 5740.98 5740.98 0$2.4. 7/ 0,7! :507;84787:507;84787:507;84787,8, '072003 ,3/!741 47/43,07 2,382.4.,3.8,.: ,70/902040.9;0/0.843,70/902040.9;0/0.843 ,70/902040.9;0/0.843,70/902040.9;0/0.843 2,3 2,3

The idea of ‘localism’ is often attached to community wind energy projects, used by those driving... more The idea of ‘localism’ is often attached to community wind energy projects, used by those driving and supporting the projects as a major justification for their positive impacts. The local is often seen as so important that it influences the particular ways in which projects are setup and developed – for example, in determining patterns of share holding in cooperatively owned schemes. In this paper I use empirical evidence from two case studies in South Yorkshire and the Isle of Skye to analyse how discourses of localism are used in varying ways by actors involved in community wind energy projects. This research shows how localism carries cultural meaning and is employed as part of a package of other discourses in an attempt to make wind turbines a symbol of the local community’s construction of identity and collective claim to the landscape. However, the ‘local’ is also defined and used in a different way by others in the community, who are odds with project supporters and who may have a very different vision of the desired local landscape. The analysis shows how the expression of scale in localism discourses can prove problematic – at what stage something becomes ‘local’ can be contested, and even ‘community owned’ projects can be rejected or feel distant from some people who argue that they are not local at all but instead an imposed disruption to the meaning of the landscape and their valued sense of place.

Fuel poverty is now widely recognised in the UK as a distinct form of social inequality and injus... more Fuel poverty is now widely recognised in the UK as a distinct form of social inequality and injustice, but exactly which energy-uses and services should be incorporated into conceptualisations of fuel poverty is rarely discussed explicitly. In this paper, we investigate how different energy-uses are portrayed as part of fuel poverty by national government and NGOs in the UK. We find that, to some degree, official definitions of
fuel poverty in the UK include multiple energy-uses. However, this is not reflected in dominant policy and NGO discourses which predominantly frame fuel poverty as solely a lack of adequate space-heating. We conclude by discussing whether non-heating energy-uses and services should be more fully recognised and incorporated into fuel poverty discourses and policy measures, identifying two areas that warrant further research and debate.

In policy and activist discourses there is often an expectation that community wind energy projec... more In policy and activist discourses there is often an expectation that community wind energy projects will avoid the conflicts and local opposition often associated with private-developer-led developments. However, the empirical validity of this assertion has not been widely investigated. In previous research on private-developer wind projects, the fairness of decision-making processes ('procedural justice') during project implementation has been identified as an important factor in shaping local acceptance, but has not been deeply studied in relation to community-led schemes. Using in-depth qualitative research of a proposed community wind project in South Yorkshire, this paper examines stakeholder interpretations of procedural justice during the design and siting of this scheme. Although the project leaders explicitly aimed for a fair and 'democratic' implementation process, considerable conflict emerged over whether this goal was achieved. The analysis shows that these conflicting views were the result, firstly, of different normative expectations of what 'procedural justice' actually meant and involved, and, secondly, of contrasting stakeholder experiences of the decision processes that were utilised. It cannot be assumed that community wind projects will always be considered procedurally just at the local level, with much resting on the details of how they are undertaken.

The consumption of energy services for everyday mobility and domestic life is a fundamental pre-c... more The consumption of energy services for everyday mobility and domestic life is a fundamental pre-condition for participating in many contemporary societies, but it can also impact upon current and future generations in ways that raise questions of equity and fairness. Whilst the field of ‘energy justice’ has become more established in recent years, much work remains to be done to further this area of study. In this lead article for a Special Issue on ‘Energy demand for mobility and domestic life: new insights from energy justice’, we begin by outlining the many interlocking issues of (in)justice raised by energy consumption for mobility and domestic services, identifying gaps in the current literature. We then describe the articles within the Special Issue, discussing these in relation to three themes: uneven access to energy and transport services; the unequal burdens of low-carbon policies; and reducing energy demand and the good society. We conclude by highlighting potential directions for future research; for example, conceptualising ‘excessive’ consumption as an issue of (in)justice, and identifying low-energy social practices and arrangements that simultaneously contribute to human well-being.

In this article we conceptualise energy use from a capabilities perspective, informed by the work... more In this article we conceptualise energy use from a capabilities perspective, informed by the work of Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum and others following them. Building on this, we suggest a corresponding definition of energy poverty, as understood in the capabilities space. We argue that such an understanding provides a theoretically coherent means of comprehending the relationship between energy and wellbeing, and thus conceptualising energy deprivation, that makes sense across settings including both the global North and South: a coherence which has previously been lacking. At the same time, it has the flexibility to be deployed in a way that is sensitive to local contexts. Understanding energy use in the capabilities space also provides a means for identifying multiple sites of intervention, including some areas that are currently largely overlooked. We argue that this is advantageous for attempts to address energy poverty in the context of climate change and imperatives for the containment of aggregate energy consumption.

Access to affordable energy is a core dimension of energy justice, with recent work examining the... more Access to affordable energy is a core dimension of energy justice, with recent work examining the relation between energy use and well-being in these terms. However, there has been relatively little examination of exactly which energy uses should be considered basic necessities within a given cultural context and so of concern for energy justice. We examine the inclusion of energy-using necessities within the outcomes of deliberative workshops within members of the public focused on defining a minimum-standard of living in the UK and repeated biannually over a six year period. Our secondary analysis shows that energy uses deemed to be necessities are diverse and plural, enabling access to multiple valued energy services, and that their profile has to some degree shifted from 2008 to 2014. The reasoning involved is multidimensional, ranging across questions of health, social participation, opportunity and practicality. We argue that public deliberations about necessities can be taken as legitimate grounding for defining minimum standards and therefore the scope of ‘doing justice’ in fuel poverty policy. However we set this in tension with how change over time reveals the escalation of norms of energy dependency in a society that on climate justice grounds must radically reduce carbon emissions.

The concept of community resilience to climate change in the UK has a diverse range of meanings a... more The concept of community resilience to climate change in the UK has a diverse range of meanings and associated activities. This review of evidence and practice explores this varied and contested field to build the evidence base and help support the development of community resilience to climate change.

Reducing household energy consumption is an essential element of the UK Government’s carbon reduc... more Reducing household energy consumption is an essential element of the UK Government’s carbon reduction strategy. Whilst increased knowledge alone will not necessarily lead to tangible actions on the part of consumers, knowledge of various kinds is, we argue, still important if domestic energy usage is to be reduced. In an attempt to ‘educate’ the public, governments have typically resorted to ‘mass information’ campaigns that have been considered largely unsuccessful. Yet understanding what alternative forms of learning could be cultivated has been limited by the dearth of research that explores whether and why people consider information about energy and energy saving to be useful. By exploring this, we can move towards an understanding of how knowledge about energy saving can be better shared and communicated, enabling more meaningful learning to take place. Drawing on in-depth qualitative data with fifty-five participants, this paper highlights a range of factors that affect perceptions of energy information. It argues that these factors are not discrete, but are interlinked. A fundamentally different model of knowledge exchange is needed for more effective learning about energy saving to occur. A number of implications for policy are proposed in our conclusions.

Local Environment

This article explores how the geographic boundaries of who could participate in the decision proc... more This article explores how the geographic boundaries of who could participate in the decision processes of two community-owned wind energy projects (WEPs) was evaluated in terms of their fairness by project leaders and local residents. In particular, it analyses the varying ways that the justice principle of “those affected by a decision have a right to be involved in making that decision” was utilised to make claims about the fairness of each boundary. In both case studies, even though this justice principle was often shared by local stakeholders, defining exactly what a “fair” boundary encompassed was problematic and strong isagreements emerged. Three factors that contributed to this disagreement are highlighted, and the significance of the findings for the implementation of community WEPs is reflected upon.

A. Davies (ed.) Enterprising Communities: Grassroots Sustainability Innovations. Bingley: Emerald Group, Jan 2012

International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home, Jan 2012

‘Community energy’ in broad terms refers to electricity and/or heat production on a small, local ... more ‘Community energy’ in broad terms refers to electricity and/or heat production on a small, local scale that may be governed by or for local people or otherwise capable of providing them with direct beneficial outcomes. In practice it encompasses a wide variety of technologies, organisational arrangements and potential outcomes, with the latter including collective economic returns, reduced fuel poverty, carbon mitigation, greater community cohesion and an increased knowledge of sustainable energy technologies. However, there are a number of challenging practical and regulatory barriers that can stand in the way of the further development of such systems. Recent experience is considered in this Chapter largely in the context of the UK and other European countries.

254894347 904190 254894347 904190 50450 !74.0/:7,:89.03 50450 !74.0/:7,:89.03 90570 90570 389,,94... more 254894347 904190 254894347 904190 50450 !74.0/:7,:89.03 50450 !74.0/:7,:89.03 90570 90570 389,,94389,0841 389,,94389,0841 .422:393/0307 .422:393/0307 5740.98 5740.98 0$2.4. 7/ 0,7! :507;84787:507;84787:507;84787,8, '072003 ,3/!741 47/43,07 2,382.4.,3.8,.: ,70/902040.9;0/0.843,70/902040.9;0/0.843 ,70/902040.9;0/0.843,70/902040.9;0/0.843 2,3 2,3

The idea of ‘localism’ is often attached to community wind energy projects, used by those driving... more The idea of ‘localism’ is often attached to community wind energy projects, used by those driving and supporting the projects as a major justification for their positive impacts. The local is often seen as so important that it influences the particular ways in which projects are setup and developed – for example, in determining patterns of share holding in cooperatively owned schemes. In this paper I use empirical evidence from two case studies in South Yorkshire and the Isle of Skye to analyse how discourses of localism are used in varying ways by actors involved in community wind energy projects. This research shows how localism carries cultural meaning and is employed as part of a package of other discourses in an attempt to make wind turbines a symbol of the local community’s construction of identity and collective claim to the landscape. However, the ‘local’ is also defined and used in a different way by others in the community, who are odds with project supporters and who may have a very different vision of the desired local landscape. The analysis shows how the expression of scale in localism discourses can prove problematic – at what stage something becomes ‘local’ can be contested, and even ‘community owned’ projects can be rejected or feel distant from some people who argue that they are not local at all but instead an imposed disruption to the meaning of the landscape and their valued sense of place.