The unknown story of the European carbon market: an archaeology of the electrical sector
L’histoire méconnue du marché européen du carbone : archéologie du secteur électrique
Résumé
In economic literature, the creation of the European carbon market is presented as a major institutional innovation that can be viewed as a direct application of economic theory. In this article, we propose another version of how the European carbon market came about that emphasizes the active role played by companies. For a period of three years, these companies designed and tested a prototype carbon market, while being observed by European experts. Drawing on archive documents, we analyze this experimentation process and examine in detail its influence on the European carbon market. We then discuss the role of companies in the processes of institutional innovation, a process that generally remains invisible. Finally it is explained how such experiments, conducted in protected spaces, can facilitate the design and testing of new concepts.
Cet article retrace un épisode méconnu et pourtant fondamental de la création du marché européen du carbone. Ce faisant, il met en évidence une mécanique singulière de la construction des politiques publiques d’environnement : l’expérimentation collective.