The United States (US) is frequently portrayed as a nation with a deep distrust of big government and a strong commitment to markets and competition. In contrast, the prevailing image of the European Union (EU) is that of a highly bureaucratized polity favouring interventionist economic governance over free market capitalism. In the context of clean energy, however, these roles appear to be somewhat reversed. A top-level survey of the US clean energy policy landscape reveals a surprisingly pervasive reliance on government subsidies with few, if any, competitive elements. EU clean energy policy, meanwhile, reflects an unexpected commitment to market-based instruments and competition. This article suggests that these counter-intuitive policy trends can be explained by critical differences in the black-letter law of both jurisdictions and its enforcement in the courts, among other factors. Unlike their American counterparts, EU judges prioritize the timely transition to a low-carbon energy economy over unrestricted competition among Member States. As the EU pushes for greater intrastate competition in clean energy policy, the US focuses instead on defending the Founding Fathers’ ideal of unfettered interstate competition.

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市场和补贴：欧盟和美国清洁能源政策的反直觉趋势

美国（US）经常被描绘成一个对大政府深表不信任、对市场和竞争有坚定承诺的国家。相比之下，欧盟 (EU) 的普遍形象是一个高度官僚化的政体，支持干预主义经济治理而不是自由市场资本主义。然而，在清洁能源的背景下，这些角色似乎有些颠倒。一项对美国清洁能源政策格局的顶级调查显示，对政府补贴的普遍依赖令人惊讶，几乎没有（如果有的话）竞争因素。与此同时，欧盟清洁能源政策反映了对基于市场的工具和竞争的意外承诺。本文认为，这些违反直觉的政策趋势可以通过两个司法管辖区的黑字法及其在法院的执行等因素中的重大差异来解释。与美国同行不同，欧盟法官优先考虑及时过渡到低碳能源经济，而不是成员国之间的无限制竞争。随着欧盟推动更大内部美国在清洁能源政策上的国家竞争，反而专注于捍卫开国元勋的无拘无束的理想间国家竞争。