Winds of Change
The Environmental Movement and the Global Development of the Wind Energy Industry
Ion Bogdan Vasi
Reviews and Awards
"A wide ranging, richly informative, and engaging account of the global emergence of a new industry." --Hayagreeva Rao, Atholl McBean Professor Of Organizational Behavior, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University
"Why does wind power stand out as one of the splashiest success stories in renewable energy but is so unevenly distributed across the globe? This imaginative yet systematic study shows that neither technology nor economic need are sufficient to turn wind potential into wind power. Vasi shows that it takes a combination of dedicated political elites, social movement activism, and positive political opportunities to produce 'winds of change." --Sidney Tarrow, Maxwell Upson Professor of Government and Sociology, Cornell University
"This splendid book rescues social movements from the margins of politics and places them at the centre of economic transformation. Through a cross-nationally comparative exploration of the development and adoption of wind energy, Ion Vasi demonstrates how environmental movements have shaped energy policy, created consumer demand, and helped to transform the energy industry nationally and internationally. This is then both an exemplary study of the ways in which environmental campaigners have changed the shape and context of energy supply and a practical demonstration of how and why social movements matter." --Christopher Rootes, Professor of Environmental Politics and Political Sociology, University of Kent
"In my view, and to my surprise, Vasi's answers are clear and convincing. He shows how the environmental movement has indeed been an important driver market of formation and industrial growth in the wind energy sector, working through various industry and policy channels. ... Vasi's book is very well-suited to become core reading in courses in environmental innovation." --Contemporary Sociology
