About
Dr Arthur Downing is currently a Director of Strategy at Octopus Energy Group.
He writes a regular blog on the history of energy. His book Power and the People: A history of British energy since 1810 (Forthcoming with Verso Press in 2026) explores how the electricity and gas industries in Britain performed under nationalisation and privatisation. Prior to working for Octopus, he was a Director of Regulation & Strategy at National Gas and before that a Principal at the Boston Consulting Group. Before entering the corporate world, he was a Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University, where he completed an MPhil and a Doctorate in Economic History. His Doctoral thesis was an economic history of mutual aid societies in Britain, the USA, Australia and New Zealand in the 19th century. He did his undergraduate degree in history at St Peter's College, Oxford University.
Expertise
Economic History: Economic History of 20th century Britain with a focus on energy infrastructure
Political Economy: The economics and institutions of energy systems since 1900, with a focus on how the 'liberalised' model has been adapted to meet decarbonisation objectives
Electricity: The history of electricity nationalisation and privatisation in the 20th century.