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The impact of public opinion on environmental policy: a cross-national investigation

Weaver, Alicia A
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1180102607

Abstract Details

2007, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Sociology.
This dissertation investigates the extent to which public opinion plays a role in the development of public policy in the environmental policy realm. Using data from cross-national public opinion polls, I elaborate on the link between public concern for the environment and the implementation of specific environmental policy measures. This research is focused on an elaboration of the particular circumstances under which public opinion directly impacts policy, and a consideration of the causal mechanisms that may shape this link. The analysis progresses in several stages. First, I examine correlations between established indicators of public opinion on the environment and demonstrate how the measures on which I focus my main analysis are correlated with other measures from various surveys. I also discuss the relevance of such measures to policy. Second, I run a series of OLS regressions and path analyses to test the direct and indirect relationships between public opinion and policy. Finally, I examine these relationships by region and level of country affluence, investigating the extent to which certain countries exhibit similarities or divergences with respect to opinion – policy linkages. Although of main concern is the relationship between opinion and policy, I include a number of explanatory variables in my model and situate my full set of variables within a causal framework. Three measures of environmental policy emerge as correlates of public opinion – the absence of energy subsidies, funding for environmental projects, and environmental governance. The nature of relationships between these measures and public opinion is discussed in the context of the complex process by which nations are accountable to their publics.
Kazimierz Slomczynski (Advisor)
162 p.
public opinion; environmental attitudes; environmental policy; environmental sociology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Weaver, A. A. (2007). The impact of public opinion on environmental policy: a cross-national investigation [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1180102607

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Weaver, Alicia. The impact of public opinion on environmental policy: a cross-national investigation. 2007. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1180102607.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Weaver, Alicia. "The impact of public opinion on environmental policy: a cross-national investigation." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1180102607

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1180102607
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© 2007, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12