Brendan Dooley is Professor at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, International University Bremen, Germany.

• Contents: Introduction, Brendan Dooley. Part 1 Energy and History: Energy transitions in historical perspective, Martin Melosi; Hydraulic energy, society and economic growth, Salvatore Ciriacono; Work and environment in Mediterranean Europe, Guiliana Biagioli. Part 2 Energy and Politics: Energy and sustainable development, Jürgen-Friedrich Hake and Regina Eich; On the creation and distribution of energy rents, Bernard Beaudreau; Liberalization of electricity markets in selected European countries, Paul Welfens and Martin Keim. Part 3 Energy and Science: Science and education, Petra Lietz and Dieter Kotte; Tomorrow's scientists: where will we find them?, Linda Miller. Part 4 Energy and Lifestyle: Obstacles to the use of renewable energy sources in Bulgaria, Antoaneta Yotova; Present situation and future challenges of the Estonian energy sector, Olev Liik; Energy efficiency and lifestyle, András Zöld. Part 5 Energy and Risk: Social uncertainty and global risks, Michalis Lianos; Energy technologies and integrated risks, Natasa Markovska, Nada Pop-Jordanova and Jordan Pop-Jordanov. Part 6 Energy and Opinion: Measuring and explaining environmental behaviour: the case of Spain, Juan Díez-Nicolás; Afterword, Brendan Dooley; Index.

’This truly trans-disciplinary and international volume debates a crucial issue all societies face: how to provide the energy supply needed to create economic wealth. Putting energy in its historical, political, economic and sociological context, the book provides fascinating insights into the cultural underpinnings of power.’ Jens Beckert, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Germany