Michael LaBelle

Dr. Michael LaBelle is an associate professor and the Jean Monnet Chair in Energy and Innovation Strategies at Central European University. He holds a joint appointment between the Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy and the Department of Economics and Business. His research is centered on energy governance, innovation strategies, and energy justice. The role of state institutions to foster investment is central to understand the role of companies in developing new energy technologies. He is the author of the book, Energy Cultures: Technology, Justice, and Geopolitics in Eastern Europe, published by Edward Elgar.

Professor LaBelle’s past research focused on policies and regulations behind Central Europe’s energy systems, including geopolitics of gas and neoliberal market reforms. He has published widely on the attempt to foster a shale gas industry in Eastern Europe. He teaches courses on energy policies and technologies, including sustainability and innovation. Much of his research involves issues of risk governance, with special attention paid to the sunk cost of energy investments. In addition, he has written peer-reviewed articles and consulting publications on the strategic movement of energy firms and the regulatory environment in the Central Eastern European region.

Previously, Dr. LaBelle was a member of the Atlantic Council’s Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy Network. He worked in the CEU Center for Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Policy (3CSEP) and at the Regional Center for Energy Policy Research (REKK) at Corvinus University. He has worked on projects for the European Commission, United States Agency for International Development, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Energy Regulators Regional Association and energy consulting companies, and European universities. He holds an MSc and PhD in Geographical Sciences from the University of Bristol.