THE ROLE OF SCIENTISTS IN LITHUANIAN ENERGY SECURITY DISCOURSE FORMATION

Abstract

The aim of the article is to investigate the participation of scientists in the energy security discourse. The empirical research was carried out on the basis of qualitative access while conducting semi-structured interviews with representatives from different branches of science. As the results of the analysis show, despite the strained relations between scientific knowledge and power, Lithuanian scientists do not succeed in converting scientific knowledge into power. Even though scientists have enough knowledge, it is not transformed into power relations due to an existing specific context and the passive role of scientists themselves. Emerging decision-makers’ efforts to eliminate scientists from Lithuanian energy security discourse formation pushes the latter into the vague situation in which it is difficult to expand their share of expectations.
Analyses of the scientific discourse show that scientists interpret the energy events in a broader context: while analysing the processes and specific projects that seek to improve energy security, they notice a more comprehensive view and manage to identify advantages, disadvantages and uncertainties of the latter. While marking out the peculiarities of energy security discourse, it may be claimed that the role of the scientists is not significant; realizing the development of energy system there has not created an institutional mechanism for  scientific expertise; scientists are not being involved and they do not rush to participate in the formation of energy security discourse. They equate the distribution of information with the publishing of knowledge in the scientific world.