The causal impact of material productivity on microeconomic competitiveness and environmental performance in the European Union

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - Interdisciplinary scholars and policymakers in the European Union (EU) claim that increasing material productivity improves the competitiveness of...     

The suppressive effect of renewables on nuclear energy: implications for OECD countries

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - This paper studies the impact of renewables on nuclear energy consumption in 15 OECD countries over the period 1991–2015. We find that the share...     

The mitigation potential of eco-taxation on carbon emissions: income effects under downward rigid wages

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - Eco-taxation is the preferred market based tool for achieving mitigation of CO2 emissions and fostering sustainability. It works through tax-induced...     

The contested politics of the Asian atom: peripheralisation and nuclear power in South Korea and Japan

South Korea and Japan have been unwaveringly committed to a nuclear-focused energy supply system despite the contested nature of that technology and the Fukushima accident in 2011. The socio-political consequences of four nuclear-related facilities (Ulju, Gyeongju, Futaba, and Rokkasho) are explored through the lens of social peripheralisation. This framework suggests that nuclear facilities will migrate to communities that are geographically remote, economically marginal, politically powerless, culturally defensive, and environmentally degraded. Nuclear infrastructures in the four cases are imposed on peripheral regions, impairing not only the structure of local economies and political power, but also creating a discriminative structure in terms of social and environmental inequality. Peripheralisation suggests a deeper dynamic by which pro-nuclear attitudes become ‘locked in’ socially and culturally so that communities come to depend on the very processes that made them peripheral. Community dynamics, subnational struggles, and contests over local power relations may determine the future of nuclear power.     

The externality of a mortality incident within an apartment building: cases of homicide,suicide and fire deaths

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - The presence of a stigmatized property due to undesirable mortality incidents, such as homicide and suicide, may affect people’s willingness to...     

Frame alignment and environmental advocacy: the influence of NGO strategies on policy outcomes in China

ABSTRACT

The link between environmental frames and policy outcomes in China is explored. Environmental nongovernment organizations’ (ENGOs) issue interpretation and presentation affect environmental policy changes. The notion of ‘frame alignment’ is introduced, and it is argued that it can serve to link ENGOs’ advocacy needs and frame resonance among different stakeholders, thus successfully promoting advocacy. Based on in-depth interviews and analysis of news reports over a span of 10 years, it is found that where ENGOs are able to align their issue frames with those of the central state and media, the resulting frame resonance smooths policy change. In contrast, where ENGOs adopt conflict frames critical of state authorities, the absence of alignment leads to a slim chance of policy change. The findings shed light on why some ENGOs successfully create linkage and achieve their desired outcomes while others fail to do so.