Looking through the prism of shale gas development: Towards a holistic framework for analysis

- Using the US as a role of global shale development overlooks contextual variations.
- Shale gas development is multidisciplinary, with more risks and stakeholders.
- Stakeholders perceive these risks differently, also due to contextual variations.
- Access to resources, industry issues and governance form the tripartite framework.
- Shale gas development is essentially a political undertaking framed by 'narratives'.

In consideration of the size and geographic concentration of proved conventional gas reserves and the potential role of natural gas to reduce the carbon intensity of energy demand, unconventional gas resources have become increasingly important to expand natural gas supplies. Shale gas in particular has gained international relevance in recent years, largely due to its rapid development and game-changing effects in the United States and its wider and larger distribution worldwide over conventional gas reserves; nonetheless, developing shale gas in other countries has been much slower, as it presents increased risks that span multiple interlinked dimensions and differ across the perceptions of an ample array of stakeholders in diverse contextual settings. The premises presented in this paper attempt to advance a holistic framework for shale gas development which comprises several factors grouped in three major interlinked domains: access to natural resources, industry capabilities and governance. To empirically test its premises under contextual variations, the framework is further used to consistently analyze the cases of Canada, China and Mexico. Findings confirm the interdisciplinary nature of shale gas development and suggest that governance is the most critical domain to bring about changes that improve the management of underlying risks.