Sandeep Vaheesan, "Democracy in Power: A History of Electrification in the United States" (U Chicago Press, 2024)
New Books in Science, Technology, and Society

Sandeep Vaheesan, "Democracy in Power: A History of Electrification in the United States" (U Chicago Press, 2024)

B2Upper-intermediateAugust 22, 202654 min
  • Interview

In Democracy in Power: A History of Electrification in the United States (University of Chicago Press, 2024), Sandeep Vaheesan recounts the rather overlooked story of how electricity spread across the U.S. economy during the 20th century. This book sheds careful light on the varied institutions and interests mediating the process, including investor-owned utilities and the rural electric cooperative. Vaheesan does not hesitate to critique the successes and failures cropping up along the way; rather, he lays them all bare in service of paving an actionable path toward the decarbonization and democratization of power. Sandeep Vaheesan is the legal d...

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Welcome to the New Books Network. Hello and welcome to another episode on the New Books Network. I'm one of your hosts, Anna Ultianu, and today I'm very pleased to be speaking with Sandeep Bahisa, Legal Director at the Open Markets Institute, about his new book, Democracy

0:17

in Power, a history of electrification in the United States, which was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2024. Democracy in Power recounts a rather overlooked history, that of how electricity spread across the US economy in the 20th century. The book sheds careful light on the institutions

0:34

and interests mediating the process, and Vahison does not shy away from critically examining successes and failures alike. Rather, he lays them all bare in service of paving an actionable path toward the decarbonization and democratization of utilities. We've got quite a bit to sift through. Sandeep, thank you so much for joining me

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