![Books on a bookshelf](https://energy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/styles/large-scaled/public/policy_and_economics_300x206_2.jpg?itok=hVG4QUV7)
Technology alone will not result in a more sustainable, secure and affordable energy system for all. The right laws, regulatory systems and financial structures must be in place locally, nationally and internationally. The Hoover Institution’s Shultz-Stephenson Task Force on Energy Policy addresses energy policy in the United States and its effects on domestic and international political priorities, particularly national security. The Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy & Finance explores and advances public policies and financial mechanisms leading to an energy future that protects the environment in an economically sensible way. The Stanford Environmental and Energy Policy Analysis Center studies innovative and effective policies to deal with a range of issues, including climate change, local air pollution, vulnerability to oil supply disruptions and transitions to renewable energy resources. The Program on Energy and Sustainable Development investigates how real energy markets work to understand not only what is technologically possible and economically efficient, but also how actual political and regulatory processes lead to outcomes that are more costly and less effective than they could be.
For more information, explore the Policy & Economics research areas: