Benjamin H. Bradlow

Subsidizing global decarbonization: how Chinese state support for clean technologies enables and (potentially) obstructs a worldwide green transition Over the last decade, green technologies have been deployed at record-breaking speeds across the world. No actor has been more important to this process than China, which now dominates what is cons...

New article out in Climate Policy with @james7jackson.bsky.social: "Subsidizing global decarbonization: how Chinese state support for clean technologies enables and (potentially) obstructs a worldwide green transition."

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The growing Brics divide between carbon nations and electrostates Energy systems can shape political institutions and make some nations more vulnerable to trade wars than others

This was a very early version of the argument oriented towards the BRICS. And it will be central to the book I'm currently writing. (Got an article length version going through peer review 🫠)

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

"In India, gas-intensive companies such as fertilizer producers might be forced to throttle back production, which could imperil crop yields in a country that still suffers from malnutrition. The government ordered oil refiners to make as much cooking fuel as possible after a plunge in imports."

"In recent days, Myanmar’s junta launched a rationing system for cars, while Thailand suspended some fuel exports. The Philippines told government offices to turn off computers at lunch and set air conditioning no lower than 75 degrees Fahrenheit."

If the energy crisis of the 1970s produced the first tentative wave of efforts to move away from reliance on hydrocarbons, what will come of this energy crisis?

This is what it looks like to be an "electrostate"; politics flow from what energy infrastructures will allow.

Nimble electrostate.

Weird to be writing today about Brazil's energy history and the Strait of Hormuz being closed.

YOLO

Polarization and Democracy in Latin America An insightful examination of Latin America’s contemporary democratic landscape and how it is marked by patterns of polarization and volatility. Although Latin American democracies have shown considera...

Happy to share that "Polarization and Democracy in Latin America" is out now with @uchicagopress.bsky.social and available in multiple formats.

If it looks interesting, please consider requesting it at your university library!

Check it out 👇

press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

This is the ninth review of the book across academic journals in sociology, political science, urban studies, and development studies. I'm very honored by the engagement across the social sciences.

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Thanks to Jerome Hodos for his thoughtful review of URBAN POWER in the latest issue of Contemporary Sociology!

"A wonderful, illuminating book that deserves the attention of every urbanist... The book is a remarkable empirical achievement."

journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

The Fantasy of Liberation by War The current U.S.–Israel war on Iran is being celebrated in some quarters as a long-awaited rupture.

Sociology has an expert analyst of the war in Iran: Ali Kadivar. His most recent Substack newsletter on "the fantasy of liberation by war" earlier this week has led to a fascinating interview on CNN. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxI_...

open.substack.com/pub/alikadiv...

This is huge! Ben would be a major gain for the State House in Massachusetts.

📣 Publication day! The first paper from my project on Europe’s EV battery roll-out is finally out

I unpack how the EU’s EV battery boom is entangled with sacrifice zones—investment in Serbia & Hungary de-risked through autocracy.
www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandg...

KARABO MOKGONYANA | Africa’s green boom risks a new labour trap An energy shift may entrench foreign labour model without real technology transfer

"Chinese technology will play a major role in Africa’s energy systems. That is not inherently a problem. The problem is technology without transfer, investment without employment and transition without justice."

www.businessday.co.za/opinion/2026...

There's a reason Spain can show this much independence. It's what I call "energetic affordances."

bsky.app/profile/atru...

U.S. Automakers Risk Being Reduced to Niche Producers of Gas Vehicles

“It’s not impossible that in 10 years we wake up and see that we actually don’t have a domestic industry in the sense of something that does significant research and development.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/b...

I'm looking to see to what degree this division enables independence from the Western war march.

This is now common from ostensibly serious foreign policy thinkers—here, Biden’s China ambassador.

But it’s a complete fantasy. They’re trash-talking a rival that is just not playing the same game.

China cares more about Saudi or UAE than Iran, Brasil or Perú than Venezuela.
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Cities in Action | Columbia University Press As national governments and global institutions fail to address climate change, an increasing number of cities have committed to major sustainability and cli... | CUP

🧵 IT'S OUT! My book Cities in Action is now available from Columbia University Press. Why do some cities step up on climate while others stay on the sidelines? And how can we not just explain but empower city action? @columbiaup.bsky.social cup.columbia.edu/book/cities-...

The war on Iran likely brings a new oil price shock and windfall profits.

So, who stands to win?

Our research shows: Last time around (2022), the US reaped the largest fossil fuel profits of any country ($377bn). 50% went to the top 1%, only 1% to the bottom 50%. A🧵

We always need to keep our eye on what kind of politics energy infrastructures enable.

The pre-rupture hypocrisies are back on.

Not in my name. This US citizen is against the US bombing of Iran.

Now out in the American Sociological Review

We present the first large-scale assessment of the structure and evolution of temporalities expressed in U.S. climate change news coverage (2000 to 2021). For this, we analyzed more than 23,000 statements about climate change effects and actions. 🧵 1/

The only originally British firms still operating in the UK are RollsRoyce and Cooper (Minis) booth owned by VW. The rest are foreign owned (and shrinking bc Brexit removed easy access to the EU market.)
For the longer history here: www.jstor.org/stable/2706799

The Biden Admin directed hundreds of billions to clean energy/manufacturing.

Did these investments shift public opinion?

We find that these projects are visible but not traceable: People notice nearby investments, but connect them to Governors, not Biden.

Thread 👇
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Do America’s carmakers have a plan for survival? Profits are set to recover this year, but a focus on large, high-margin vehicles could create a gap for Chinese rivals to exploit

“At present the Detroit three are on course to become niche manufacturers on the global stage,” he wrote. “Simple extrapolation . . . says the domestic American industry is entirely gone before 2050.”

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

My first preprint is up!

Qualitative Methods in the Digital Era: How computation entangles fieldwork?

Drawing on 8 years collecting multiple types of data on Brazil’s environmental state, I reflect on how abductive fieldwork is changing.

Comments welcomed

osf.io/preprints/so...