Does energy security threaten the rule of law? dynamic evidence from the European Union

Sarıtaş T., Kaplan E. A., Büyükkör Y., ASLAN A.

Environmental Politics, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/09644016.2026.2676376
  • Dergi Adı: Environmental Politics
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Environment Index, Geobase, Greenfile, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Social Sciences Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: energy risk, Energy security, European Union, governance, institutional quality, rule of law
  • Erciyes Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study investigates the dynamic effects of energy security risk on the rule of law across 25 European Union (EU) member states during the period 2008–2023 using the Panel Vector Autoregression (PVAR) method. The rule of law, reflecting institutional quality through indicators, such as property rights, judicial independence, and regulatory reliability, is employed as the dependent variable, while the Energy and Climate Security Risk Index (ECSRI), capturing energy import dependence, fossil fuel intensity, and climate transition vulnerabilities, serves as the main explanatory variable. Empirical results indicate that the rule of law in EU countries exhibits a high degree of persistence, suggesting that institutional structures are largely determined by strong internal dynamics. The direct effect of energy security risk on the rule of law is statistically insignificant, implying that the advanced institutional systems of EU member states remain resilient to fluctuations in energy markets.