A multi-scale integrated analysis of the energy use in Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary

This paper discusses energy use in the case of four countries, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, and Romania, which changed the economic system from command economy to open-market. The analysis provided uses the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal metabolism (MSIASM) approach and contrasts it with the use of the traditional indicators approach (GDP growth rates and energy intensity). These traditional indicators have been widely criticized for being inadequate reflections of how energy policies work. Furthermore, the one-size-fits-all policies that result from analyzing these indicators are inaccurate, particularly for transitional economies. The alternative indicators, economic labor productivity, saturation index of human activity, and exosomatic metabolic rates are used to investigate the four case studies considering the complexity of the transition process.