{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in Public Policy","slug":"new-books-in-public-policy-671623","podcast_index_feed_id":671623,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/ssMyj0Zi","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/9aa0f1bb-a097-4f50-990d-432361b1630a/f7f90a07-58e9-4a6e-a1af-07c56c30e4b9/3000x3000/746defd0a8e281e3e6946bc6cd1b4cc1.png?aid=rss_feed","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":600,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/public-policy","last_synced_at":"2026-09-26T22:19:16.166192+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-public-policy-671623"},"episode":{"title":"Conor Harrison, \"Brokers of Power: The Financialization of the US Electricity System\" (U Minnesota Press, 2026)","slug":"conor-harrison-brokers-of-power-the-financialization-of-the-us-electricity-system-u-minnesota-press-2026","published_at":"2026-09-19T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-public-policy-671623/conor-harrison-brokers-of-power-the-financialization-of-the-us-electricity-system-u-minnesota-press-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-public-policy-671623","url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com","audio_url":"https://injector.simplecastaudio.com/9aa0f1bb-a097-4f50-990d-432361b1630a/episodes/74742806-c09c-4ebb-9916-547c17520596/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=9aa0f1bb-a097-4f50-990d-432361b1630a&awEpisodeId=74742806-c09c-4ebb-9916-547c17520596&awSourceEpisodeId=d036f806-ea96-428c-87d0-0d73043b0973&feed=ssMyj0Zi","summary":"The twenty-first century has seen major transformations in the US electricity sector—but while the use of coal power wanes and the need for renewable energy becomes more urgent, financial actors maintain a complicating influence on the trajectory of energy transition. Brokers of Power: The Financialization of the US Electricity System (University of Minnesota Press, 2026) identifies changing patterns of investment intertwined with the shift from state-regulated electricity monopolies to a market-driven price model and the embrace of wind and solar hookups to the grid. Drawing from case studies such as catastrophic Winter Storm Uri that hit Texas in 2021 and in-depth interviews with people working in the electricity and financial sectors, Dr. Conor Harrison reveals how the various entanglements of private equity, investment banking, and financial modeling are shaping the future and raising the costs of this vital infrastructure. Today’s financial firms, he shows, are engaged in the electricity industry beyond matters of investment: they own electricity generation infrastructure, trade electricity on markets, capture federal renewable energy tax credits, and advise on electricity firm operating strategy. Looking beyond technology and policy, Dr. Harrison interrogates what it means to have powerful financial institutions as the primary agents of change in the fraught and ongoing energy transition. A timely and invaluable contribution to the fields of geography, environmental studies, and the energy social sciences, Brokers of Power is a cautionary account delving into the complexities surrounding the push for decarbonization. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation a…","meta_description":"The twenty-first century has seen major transformations in the US electricity sector—but while the use of coal power wanes and the need for renewable ener…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2273,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-public-policy-671623/episodes/conor-harrison-brokers-of-power-the-financialization-of-the-us-electricity-system-u-minnesota-press-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-public-policy-671623/conor-harrison-brokers-of-power-the-financialization-of-the-us-electricity-system-u-minnesota-press-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}