Energy, Democracy, and the Art of Policy | Current History Podcast #7

Get notified when new podcast episode goes live by subscribing at https://current-history.com/subscribe.  Subscribers receive all podcasts and posts through the Current History Substack. Your support helps make this content possible.In this episode, Ken Briggs speaks with public policy scholar and energy policy expert Santiago Creuheras about what it actually takes to move countries on energy both domestically and internationally. They discuss Mexico's energy transition, whether multilateral frameworks are effective, and what the state of Latin American democracy means for serious energy policymaking. They also examine why good policy fails at the implementation stage, why energy efficiency remains chronically underused despite the evidence for it, and what effective international energy governance looks like in a more fragmented world.About the GuestSantiago Creuheras is a public policy scholar and sustainable development expert with over 25 years of experience across government, international institutions, and academia. He served as Deputy Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Energy of Mexico and chaired the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation, elected by unanimous endorsement of all member countries.He co-led the G20 Energy Efficiency and Energy Transitions Finance Working Group and has held senior advisory roles at the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Energy Agency, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. At Harvard, where he holds three master’s degrees, he is a Kennedy School JFK Fellow, a Weatherhead Visiting Scholar, and teaches alongside Professors Matt Andrews and Ricardo Hausmann. His research examines Mexico’s democratization process and the broader trajectory of Latin American democracy and sustainable development.About the HostKen Briggs is a writer, researcher, and consultant with a deep interest in history, policy, global affairs, and emerging technology. A former engineer, Ken has spent a lifetime thinking, writing, and talking about these issues and created Current History to explore how they shape the world we live in. His research interests include the geopolitical impacts of the energy transition and technology, political science and philosophy, and applied history. As a consultant, he also advises companies on navigating policy and geopolitical risk.Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@current-historySubscribe to Current History on Substack: https://current-history.com/subscribe/ Follow Ken on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenbriggs3/Follow Ken on X: https://x.com/KenWBriggs3Topics and Timestamps00:00 – Introduction00:41 - Guest introduction: Santiago Creuheras02:16 – What drew you to interdisciplinary policy work?02:45– Topic 1: Sustainable Public Value: A framework for policy06:25 - Topic 2: Mexico’s energy transition13:35 - Topic 3: From Mexico to the G20 – multilateralism and energy efficiency as the first fuel29:13 - Topic 4: The future of energy governance in a multipolar world40:35 - Topic 5: Democracy and sustainable development in Latin America50:36 - Topic 6: Implementing policy that actually sticks57:06 – Listener takeaways58:36 – OutroFor Further ReadingG20 Energy Transition Working Group: Doubling Energy EfficiencyHarvard Growth Lab: Atlas of Economic ComplexityEnergy Efficiency in Public Facilities Project - World Bank GroupCreating Public Value - Harvard Kennedy SchoolThe View from New York: The Poblano Subdiaspora Get full access to Current History at current-history.com/subscribe