ABSTRACT
Review of the experience of other countries is invaluable, not because it provides a blueprint for “how to do it right” but because it suggests alternative perspectives on the questions we pose. Dr. Meller’s paper indicates that Japan and Western Europe, generally much more dependent on imported energy than the United States, show little if any concern about conflict between efficiency and equity in energy policy. With the exception of Great Britain, whose domestic supplies are significant, they seem to be taking the crises in stride. The finding is reminiscent of an earlier observation that losers seemed to have distinct advantage over winners in the economic development race that followed World War II.
