Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

12-2013

Abstract

This article critically compares China's rare earth policy with perspectives upheld in the rest of the world (ROW). We introduce rare earth elements and their importance for energy and present how China and the ROW are framing the policy debate. We find strongly dissonant views with regards to motives for foreign direct investment, China's two-tiered pricing structure and its questionable innovation potential. Using the metaphor of "China Inc.", we compare the Chinese government to a socially responsible corporation that aims to balance the needs of its internal stakeholders with the demands from a resource-dependent world. We find that China's internal stakeholders have more power and legitimacy in the REE debate than the ROW and reconceptualise various possible mitigation strategies that could change current international policy and market dynamics. As such, we aim to reframe the perspectives that seem to govern the West and argue in favor of policy formation that explicitly acknowledges China's triple bottom line ambitions and encourages the ROW to engage with China in a more nuanced manner.

Keywords

Rare earth elements, China, Stakeholders

Discipline

Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics | Energy Policy | Strategic Management Policy

Research Areas

Strategy and Organisation

Publication

Energy Policy

Volume

63

First Page

55

Last Page

68

ISSN

0301-4215

Identifier

10.1016/j.enpol.2013.07.121

Publisher

Elsevier

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.07.121

Download

Share

COinS