Reclaiming public infrastructure: Public power New York and the struggle for energy democracy

Brown, Grace (2025) Reclaiming public infrastructure: Public power New York and the struggle for energy democracy. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis explores how privatised public services and infrastructures can be reclaimed as part of a democratic transformation of the local state. The increasing privatisation of essential services and infrastructures has led to concerns about the erosion of democratic control and accountability, creating a need to understand how these can be re-embedded within democratic, public frameworks. Using the Public Power New York (PPNY) coalition’s campaign to pass the Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA) as a case study, this research investigates how a social movement can actively constitute and advance a project for energy justice and democracy. In this, demonstrating the potential for grassroots movements to catalyse broader political projects and foster democratic transformation of local governance structures.

By integrating diverse theoretical perspectives and empirical findings, this research offers a comprehensive analysis of how social movements can reclaim infrastructure and broaden political imaginaries toward more just and democratic futures. A novel theoretical framework integrates a range of concepts, following Cindi Katz’s emphasis on minor theory to introduce queer theory as an interlocutor to Nancy Fraser’s dimensions of justice.

The thesis reveals anti-democratic tendencies inherent in the technocratic and often hidden spaces of neoliberal governance. Furthermore, it demonstrates how energy infrastructure can broaden political imaginaries and foster different types of engagement with the local state. The research underscores the importance of understanding social movements as messy, evolving entities that continuously transform and are transformed by their engagement with the state, positioning queerness as an affective solidarity essential to sustaining social movements.

Empirically, the thesis contributes to literature on urban social movements and the local state, providing original insights into the dynamics of social movement organising in struggles
for energy democracy. Methodologically, it highlights the adaptive nature of research design in response to external challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and the resultant deeper understanding of social movement dynamics through qualitative research conducted in virtual spaces.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences; H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory; H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management; H Social Sciences > HM Sociology; J Political Science > JK Political institutions (United States)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Supervisor's Name: Cumbers, Professor Andrew and McMaster, Professor Robert
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85234
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 20 Jun 2025 09:46
• Last Modified: 20 Jun 2025 09:49
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85234
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85234