A “return of the state” in energy transitions? The making of a hydrogen economy in the European Union

Abstract A shifting paradigm in economic policy is re-asserting the centrality of the state for the transformative overhaul of global energy systems. Amid a burgeoning interest in state policy, however, contemporary scholarly discussions often lack a comprehensive examination of the state itself. We address this gap in economic geography and international political economy by investigating the nuanced role of the state in structuring global industries, with a focus on the emerging hydrogen economy in the European Union (EU). Further elaborating Horner’s typology of state roles in global production networks (GPN) with Jessop’s strategic-relational approach, this article replaces the states-markets dualism with concrete accounts of the co-constitutive relationships binding together the evolution of the “actually existing” State-GPN Nexus. Accordingly, we identify three underdeveloped analytical entry points, concerning (1) the conjoint interrogation of state roles, (2) finance, and (3) the historical regulatory form of the state. This conceptualization is then applied to three case studies on the developing hydrogen economy in Europe. Despite the prominent role of state capital, initiatives such as EU state aid schemes, the European Hydrogen Bank, and the spatialized industrial policy of Hydrogen Valleys reveal the prioritization of de-risking strategies through public-private partnerships more or less directly designed by democratically unaccountable industry groups.