Here Comes the Sun : A Thematic Analysis of EU Plans for Ukraine’s Energy Reconstruction

This thesis investigates the institutional implications of the EU’s preliminary plans for reconstructing Ukraine’s energy sector. Historically, Ukraine’s energy sector has been characterized as mismanaged and corrupt, largely due to infrastructure inherited from the Soviet Union and systemic exploitation. As Ukraine pursues EU membership, aligning its energy sector with EU conditions will be critical for future reconstruction. Thematic, bottom- up coding based on the principles of Braun and Clarke, in collaboration with Balmaceda’s institutional model, was used to analyze EU strategy documents. Results indicate that the EU envisions an institutional framework aimed at decentralizing and liberalizing the Ukrainian system while transitioning the economy to renewables, which creates new types of rent extraction.