Katherine Brubaker ’24

Major

School of Public and International Affairs

Project Title

Power Industry Decision Making Processes Amid India's Energy Transition

Presentation Link

View Katherine's Presentation

Certificate(s): Journalism

I aimed to understand organizational decision-making processes for India’s energy transition to renewable energy. I studied various organizations that are either part of civil society, the government, or private companies. Additionally, I focused on investigating the current role and status of coal within India. I interviewed 90 individuals from various companies and asked questions about their company goals, their perceptions of the Indian power sector goals, and who they saw as power sector decision-makers. I transcribed these interviews into a final codebook, which encompasses a set of 33 themes divided into three overarching categories: drivers of coal phaseout, drivers for coal to remain, and moderating factors. A team of coders then analyzed the interviews to qualitatively identify them. The coders also documented interviewees’ perceptions of government, industry, civil society, and consumers. This research opportunity provided me with insight into how power industry companies view India’s energy transition, as well as how this transition is actively taking place. My experience has compelled me to pursue my own research on environmental topics, and to continue working with the Behavioral Science for Policy Lab this fall.



Internship Year

2022

Project Category

Urban Sustainability

Organization(s)

Behavioral Science for Policy Lab, Princeton University - Princeton, New Jersey

Mentor(s)

Elke Weber, Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs; Pooja Ramamurthi, Ph.D. candidate, School of Public and International Affairs