Research Supervisor Connect
Lynne’s primary research fields are energy and heterodox economics. She is recognised as a leading Australian scholar in the empirical application of French Régulation theory, a heterodox (non-conventional) school of economic thought inspired by Marxian and Institutional Economics, to advancing understanding of contemporary energy issues. Her research contributes to debates on household energy affordability, the economic regulation of energy sectors, energy (in)justice, energy problematisation, energy security, and the economic-energy-environment relation. She has written extensively on the Australian electricity sector, the consumer impacts of restructured electricity markets, and electricity price formation. Her heterodox economics research focuses on its conceptualisation, the reasons for its marginalisation within the social science discipline of economics, and its insights to advance understanding of contemporary pressing problems like climate change, the energy crisis, and inequality.
Associate Professor Lynne Chester.
Political Economy, School of Social and Political Sciences (SSPS)
Research interests
The focus of Lynne’s energy research ranges from the specificities of the Australian electricity sector to more generally the structure, dimensions and outcomes of energy markets, household energy affordability, energy (in)justice, the formation of energy prices, the financialisation of energy sectors, the institutions (including economic regulatory regimes) of energy sectors, and the policy responses of governments to energy issues, energy problematisation, energy security, and the economic-energy-environment relation. She has conducted a national study of the impact and consequences of rising energy prices on Australian low-income households, investigated the interaction of economic and safety regulatory regimes in the Australian gas sector, been engaged as an expert witness on the economic regulation of Australian electricity companies, and appointed to several external organisations because of her energy and public policy expertise. Currently she is the lead Chief Investigator for an ARC Linkage project developing solar solutions to improve energy affordability for low-income renters.
Her heterodox economics research spans the commonalties and differences of different heterodox traditions, the practices of methodological pluralism, the role of interdisciplinarity in heterodox research, and positionality transparency within the social science discipline of economics. Currently she is working on a book project about the overlooked contributions of women to the development of different heterodox traditions and the practices and behaviours leading to this situation.
Current projects
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The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 3224