Management of Information Processes in the Global Energy Crisis
Management of Information Processes in the Global Energy Crisis

Summary/Abstract: Global energy crises are often interpreted as technical supply bottlenecks or economic shocks. This paper, however, argues that energy crises should be understood as complex socio-technical governance problems in which energy, information, and political control are closely intertwined. The central thesis of this paper is that information governance is not merely a supporting factor, but a constitutive prerequisite of modern energy systems. Based on approaches from energy history and social sciences, energy is conceptualized as a structuring basis of social development that is always linked to specific power, knowledge, and information orders. The analysis shows that the importance of information processes is growing significantly with the increasing complexity of modern energy systems. Decisions on energy policy and transformation paths are increasingly based on standardized data, scenarios, and institutionally embedded communication processes. Deficits in information governance can impair political decision-making, hamper international cooperation, and exacerbate geopolitical tensions. Furthermore, it is argued that energy crises are always also communication crises, the management of which depends largely on transparent, dialogical crisis communication. The article therefore advocates for a stronger institutional anchoring of information governance.

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