| 1. |
- Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al.
(author)
-
A background on social context and renewable energy sources in Mozambique and Tanzania - An initial report from the STEEP-RES project
- 2009
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This initial research report, appearing before the formal commencement of the STEEP-RESproject, focuses on the background and context of the project which is intended to make asocio-technical-ecological assessment of prerequisites to and effects of introducing renewableenergy sources (RES) into rural communities of the coastal Tanzania and Mozambique. Thereforea short review of the scientific literature is made dealing with societal prerequisites andrepercussions of electrification. Technical aspects related to the availability of natural resourcesand technologies for renewable energy resources utilisation are also briefly coveredalong with some very brief remarks on possible environmental repercussions.The review of the social context covers > 45 papers dealing with different experiencesof electrification in developing countries relating to renewable energy applicable for povertyalleviation in rural settings. The primary energy sources in rural East Africa are biofuels andelectricity plays a limited role. Electrification influences the composition of the energy mix,but during early development it has very limited impact on the use of wood for cocking andheating purposes. The institutional and financial frameworks are currently major barriers tosmall-scale RES-projects, although local technical and financial capacities are slowly increasing.Social and cultural settings create important drivers and barriers to introduction and diffusionof new technologies. Further, poverty and gender inequality are considered key issues forelectrification projects and create important barriers to success. Participatory and needorientedapproaches are considered necessary by most researchers for successful RES-projects.The more technical review is based on ~50 papers covers the existing renewable energysources (RES) - biofuels, solar, hydro, geothermal, wind, wave and tide. The technologicalstate and resource abundance of each source is discussed briefly in a regional context,along with environmental considerations on each technology.As large scale hydropower is being used in the region since long, it is noticeable thatsmall- and micro-scale hydropower is now advancing and will contribute to electrification inmany smaller river-bound areas. Bioenergy, in terms of firewood is widely used for cookingpurposes, although not environmentally sustainable and not with potential for electricity generation.Biofuels from plantations is rapidly increasing in Africa as well as the global trend.Also here, environmental considerations are of great importance for sustainability. Other RESof potential in the region, and with perhaps less environmental constrains, may be solar photovoltaicand tidal energy. Of less importance, according to regionally sparse resource abuniidance, seem to be wind and wave energy. The potential of geothermal energy is geographicallyrestricted to a few good locations.An inventory of actors within the field of East-African RES based on internet resourcesreveals a “top-heavy” information situation with many and well-designed information sourcesand active networks on global and African regional level while less web-information is availablefrom local levels in Tanzania and Mozambique, where only few companies working inthe field has been identified. More direct investigations are needed starting from the actorsidentified in this initial inventory.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Molander, Sverker, 1957, et al.
(author)
-
Socio-technical-ecological evaluations of the potential to implement renewable energy sources in coastal areas of tropical developing countries – an East African case study
- 2008
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The suggested project aims at evaluating the potential for a successful implementation of renewableenergy sources in the coastal zone of tropical developing countries integrating results from differentscientific disciplines (ecology, social science and technology) into a useful support for developmentpolicy. Its emphasis will be on remote areas where poor infrastructures raise the demand forindependent electricity supplies. Moreover, the project intends to identify key-issues and sociotechnicalpathways for a future integration of suitable renewable energy sources in such areas.The research will be based on analyses of the relationships between technical, ecological andsocial systems and focus on applying adequate technology in a socially and ecologically feasible way.The energy sources considered will be selected from local natural flowing resources, i.e. mainly tidal,stream, and wave energies.With funding from Sida (SAREC Planning Grant) and Adlerbertska Forskningsstiftelsen, a planningstudy was carried out during October – November 2007, including the subsequent parts:1) meetings with representatives from several concerned institutions in Mozambique and inTanzania2) field visit to remote rural areas in southern Tanzania where hydrographical and coastmorphological features were documented3) meetings with village representatives in remote rural southern Tanzania in order to collectinformation about living standards, energy demands and development intentionsCompiled results from the three parts are presented in this report and will constitute a baseline for theforthcoming application of Sida Project grant, to be handed in April 2008. When taking part of theresults it is important to keep in mind that the suggested project does not intend to construct any actualpower plants, or pilot plants, but to study the prerequisites and consequences, technical, natural as wellas societal in order to evaluate if and how a future implementation of these recent technologies couldbe carried out in a feasible and sustainable way.This report is written with a plain perspective and contains no abstract. As the proceedings of the studywill be the basis for a research application in progress, conclusions will instead be developed withinthat context.
|
|
| 6. |
- Ahlerup, Pelle, 1977, et al.
(author)
-
Drought and Political Trust
- 2023
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Droughts can affect people’s political trust positively, through rallying effects, or negatively, through blame attribution. We examine how drought conditions affect political trust in the context of Africa. We link high-precision exogenous climate data to survey respondents, 2002–2018, and report moderate negative effects of drought conditions on people’s trust in their president. These negative effects increase with the severity of drought conditions. The political economy of favoritism, where some regions are preferentially treated by rulers, should result in heterogeneous effects across territories. We find that trust increases in capital regions and in leader birth regions during dry conditions. In contrast, when droughts take place in such regions, trust levels fall in other regions. This is in line with the idea that capital regions and leader birth regions could be preferentially treated in the aftermath of droughts. Understanding these processes further is important given their salience because of global warming.
|
|
| 7. |
- Andersson, David, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
DN Debatt: LRF och Svenskt flyg svarar inte om klimatmålen
- 2015
-
In: Dagens Nyheter. - 1101-2447.
-
Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Sammantaget ser vi inget i motdebattörernas argument som talar emot att införa styrmedel, till exempel konsumtionsskatter, inom dessa områden där inga stora tekniska lösningar finns i sikte, skriver 14 miljö- och energiforskare i slutrepliken till sin text om flyg- och köttskatt (26/2).
|
|
| 8. |
- Andersson, David, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
Nu krävs kraftfulla åtgärder mot nötkött och flygresor
- 2015
-
In: Dagens Nyheter. - 1101-2447. ; 2015-02-27
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Svenskarnas globala utsläpp från köttkonsumtion och flygresor motsvarar hälften av de totala utsläppen på hemmaplan. I vår rapport till Naturvårdsverket föreslår vi tydliga styrmedel – som nya skatter – för att begränsa konsumtionen på dessa områden, skriver 14 miljö- och energiforskare.
|
|
| 9. |
- Andersson, Erik, 1966, et al.
(author)
-
Sambanden mellan globalisering och hållbar utveckling
- 2008
-
In: Andersson, E. och Jagers, S. (red.), Global hållbar utveckling. - Göteborg : Folkuniversitetet. - 9789197683715 ; , s. 9-23
-
Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- I den här boken är avsikten att belysa två begrepp som utgör en ökande del av samtalsämnena i media, i den internationella politiken, över lunchborden och inom forskningen: globalisering och hållbar utveckling. Vad innebär dessa begrepp? Var kommer de ifrån? Hur hänger de ihop? Och kanske inte minst: vad kan man göra åt dem - om man nu kan det?
|
|
| 10. |
- Andersson, Klas, 1975, et al.
(author)
-
Learning for the Future? Effects of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) on Teacher Education Students
- 2013
-
In: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 5:12, s. 5135-5152
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Currently, politicians, university representatives, scholars and leading NGOs share a strong belief in the ability of educational systems to generate positive attitudes to sustainable development (SD) among citizens, with the idea of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as perhaps the most apparent expression of this conviction. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether ESD might have the intended effects on teacher education students. More specifically, we account for the results from a panel study on the effects of a course on SD held in autumn 2010 at the University of Gothenburg (n = 323) on teacher education students. The surveys consisted of questions about the students’ concerns about various issues, including issues related to SD, and their attitudes towards SD and views of moral obligations to contributing to SD. The study included a control group (n = 97) consisting of students from the teacher-training programme at University West, which had not and did not include ESD. We find positive effects of ESD on almost all attitudes and perceptions, including e.g., personal responsibility in relation to SD and willingness to contribute to SD, while there is no noticeable effect in the control group. We conclude the paper by discussing the implications of our results for the idea of ESD in teacher training programmes at Swedish higher education institutions.
|
|
| 11. |
- Bastos Lima, Mairon G., et al.
(author)
-
Large-scale collective action to avoid an Amazon tipping point - key actors and interventions
- 2021
-
In: Current Research in Environmental Sustainability. - : Elsevier BV. - 2666-0490. ; 3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The destruction of the Amazon is a major global environmental issue, not only because of greenhouse gas emissions or direct impacts on biodiversity and livelihoods, but also due to the forest's role as a tipping element in the Earth System. With nearly a fifth of the Amazon already lost, there are already signs of an imminent forest dieback process that risks transforming much of the rainforest into a drier ecosystem, with climatic implications across the globe. There is a large body of literature on the underlying drivers of Amazon deforestation. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the behavioral and institutional microfoundations of change. Fundamental issues concerning cooperation, as well as the mechanisms facilitating or hampering such actions, can play a much more central role in attempts to unravel and address Amazon deforestation. We thus present the issue of preventing the Amazon biome from crossing a biophysical tipping point as a large-scale collective action problem. Drawing from collective action theory, we apply a novel analytical framework on Amazon conservation, identifying six variables that synthesize relevant collective action stressors and facilitators: information, accountability, harmony of interests, horizontal trust, knowledge about consequences, and sense of responsibility. Drawing upon literature and data, we assess Amazon deforestation and conservation through our heuristic lens, showing that while growing transparency has made information availability a collective action facilitator, lack of accountability, distrust among actors, and little sense of responsibility for halting deforestation remain key stressors. We finalize by discussing interventions that can help break the gridlock.
|
|
| 12. |
- Bergquist, Magnus, 1983, et al.
(author)
-
Meta-analyses of fifteen determinants of public opinion about climate change taxes and laws
- 2022
-
In: Nature Climate Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-678X .- 1758-6798. ; 12, s. 235-240
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Public acceptance is a precondition for implementing taxes and laws aimed at mitigating climate change. However, it still remains challenging to understand its determinants for the climate community. Here, we use a meta-analytic approach to examine the role of public opinion about climate change taxes and laws. Fifteen variables were examined by synthesizing 89 datasets from 51 articles across 33 countries, with a total sample of 119,465 participants. Among all factors, perceived fairness and effectiveness were the most important determinants. Self-enhancement values and knowledge about climate change showed weak relationships and demographic variables showed only weak or close to zero effects. Our meta-analytic results provide useful insights and have the potential to inform climate change researchers, practitioners and policymakers to better design climate policy instruments.
|
|
| 13. |
- Bergquist, Magnus, 1983, et al.
(author)
-
The importance of perceived fairness to public opinion about climate change policies
- 2022
-
In: Nature Climate Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-678X .- 1758-6798. ; 12, s. 226-227
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This is a "Research Briefing" summarizing Bergquist et al. (2022) Meta-analyses of fifteen determinants of public opinion about climate change taxes and laws. Nat. Clim. Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01297-6
|
|
| 14. |
|
|
| 15. |
|
|
| 16. |
|
|
| 17. |
|
|
| 18. |
- Boräng, Frida, 1977, et al.
(author)
-
In Light of Democracy and Corruption: Institutional Determinants of Electricity Provision
- 2021
-
In: The Energy Journal. - : International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE). - 0195-6574 .- 1944-9089. ; 42:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Long-lasting democratic institutions have been found to matter for the universal provision of reliable electricity. In this article we revisit this finding, suggesting that the effect of democracy on electricity provision is moderated by the quality of institutions shaping the implementation of public policies. We test the hypothesis positing the interaction effect between democracy and corruption using cross-national data on the share of population living in unlit areas. The results show that democracy is associated with a higher electrification rate only in low-corrupt contexts. When corruption is widespread, democratic experience is not correlated with higher rates of electrification. These findings suggest that the effect of democratic institutions is conditional on the quality of the institutions that shape policy implementation.
|
|
| 19. |
- Boräng, Frida, 1977, et al.
(author)
-
Political determinants of electricity provision in small island developing states
- 2016
-
In: Energy Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0301-4215 .- 1873-6777. ; 98, s. 725-734
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper approaches provision of affordable and reliable electricity in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as a case of public good provision. It aims to contribute to our understanding of how regime type and the quality of implementing institutions within political systems affect the prerequisites for successful electrification in SIDS. More specifically, we analyse the independent and interdependent effects of level of democracy and control of corruption on per capita household electricity consumption in SIDS, using data from 34 SIDS over the period 1996-2009. The results show that although the independent effects of level of democracy and control of corruption are sensitive to model specification, these two factors do have an interdependent impact on per capita household electricity consumption: democratization has positive effects on provision of electricity to the general population only when there is a certain level of corruption control in place. The results imply a) that it is important for policy actors to acknowledge the interaction between regime type and the quality of implementing institutions, and b) when planning electrification projects in SIDS, it is necessary to have information about the social and political context in order to design the most effective projects. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 20. |
- Coleman, Eric A., et al.
(author)
-
Policy attributes shape climate policy support
- 2023
-
In: Policy Studies Journal. - : Wiley. - 0190-292X .- 1541-0072. ; 51:2, s. 419-437
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding how preferences for public policy instruments shape policy support helps policymakers to design policies that begin to tackle large-scale and complex problems, such as climate change. Climate change policies generate both local and global costs and benefits, which affect the public's policy preferences. In this article we investigate the role of perceived conditional cooperation and distributive concerns on climate policy attitude formation. We identify a range of climate policies and test public opinion for adoption of these policies at different scales of government. The important theoretical distinction is the scale-driven distributional nature of policy costs and benefits as well as concerns regarding the cooperation of other actors. We use data from Sweden and a conjoint experimental design where we vary level of government, type of policy, and the targeted group. We find evidence that people support policies when costs are shared broadly. We also find that support for climate policy is conditional on expected policy adoption by other units of government at various scales. This implies that unpopular climate policies might be more popular if the funding structure of the policy allows for binding policy and that the cost-sharing is taking place at higher levels of government.
|
|
| 21. |
- Davidovic, Dragana, et al.
(author)
-
The contingent effects of environmental concern and ideology: institutional context and people’s willingness to pay environmental taxes
- 2020
-
In: Environmental Politics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0964-4016 .- 1743-8934. ; 29:4, s. 674-696
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Environmental taxes are often argued to be key to more effective environmental protection. People’s willingness to pay such taxes in contexts with varying levels of quality of government (QoG) is investigated. Applying multilevel analyses on data from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) and the QoG Institute, links between environmental concern, ideology, and QoG are explored. The results show that people who state that they are concerned about environmental issues and live in high QoG countries are more willing than people in low QoG countries to pay environmental taxes. Moreover, people in low QoG countries holding leftist political value orientations are less willing to pay environmental taxes than rightists and other value groups. Environmental concern and leftist political ideology are more important drivers of public support for environmental taxes in high QoG countries than in low QoG countries.
|
|
| 22. |
- Duus-Otterström, Göran, 1978, et al.
(author)
-
Att mota Olle på andra sidan grind – svenskarnas uppfattningar om klimatanpassningsåtgärder
- 2022
-
In: Du sköra nya värld. SOM-undersökningen 2021. SOM-rapport nr 81, 243–261. - Göteborg : SOM-Institutet, Göteborgs universitet. - 0284-4788. - 9789189673526
-
Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- I takt med att klimatförändringarna förvärras blir klimatanpassning allt viktigare. I detta kapitel tittar vi närmare på svenska folkets syn på frågor som rör klimatanpassningsåtgärder, det vill säga åtgärder som syftar till att göra klimatförändringarna mindre skadliga. Vi använder oss av två frågebatterier från 2021 års nationella SOMundersökning för att undersöka: 1) var svenskarna anser att offentliga medel bör satsas för att anpassa samhällen till ett förändrat klimat och 2) vem man anser bör bära huvudansvaret för dylika satsningar. Resultaten visar att det finns ett brett stöd bland de svarande för att staten ska bekosta klimatanpassningsåtgärder i Sverige såväl som i sårbara eller fattiga länder. Det finns även ett brett stöd för att det internationella ansvaret att betala för klimatanpassning främst bör falla på stora utsläpparländer, särskilt de som släpper ut mycket växthusgaser i nuläget.
|
|
| 23. |
- Duus-Otterström, Göran, 1978, et al.
(author)
-
Fair Adaptation? Insurance as Adaptation Strategy
- 2009
-
In: paper presented at the 9th Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change, Amsterdam 2-4 December.
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)
|
|
| 24. |
|
|
| 25. |
- Duus-Otterström, Göran, 1978, et al.
(author)
-
Identifying burdens of coping with climate change: A typology of the duties of climate justice
- 2012
-
In: Global Environmental Change-Human and Policy Dimensions. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-3780 .- 1872-9495. ; 22:3, s. 746-753
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- One of the central questions in climate change debates concerns fair burden-sharing, i.e. justice in the distribution of costs of undertaking climate-managing policies. In this paper it is argued that in order to distribute such costs justly, it is necessary to have a nuanced understanding of what types of burdens they represent. Climate managing policies are usually divided into responses that seek to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (mitigation) and responses that seek to prevent harm arising from a changing climate (adaptation). Some have argued that there are normatively significant differences between mitigation and adaptation: that the two responses adhere to different logics and evoke different patterns of burden-sharing. This paper argues that the relevant distinction is instead between negative and positive climate duties, i.e. whether an agent has a duty to undertake climate-managing policies on account of the harm its excessive emissions are causing or simply on account of its ability to assist those in need. The paper offers a typology of the different mitigation and adaptation responses that can be sorted under the negative/positive distinctions. This way of conceptualizing the issue not only enables us to better address the burden-sharing question, offering a more nuanced understanding of the types of climate burdens that are ascribable to agents and pointing out the appropriate roles of contributory responsibility and ability. It also clarifies aspects of the climate negotiations, and explains why it matters whether adaptation finance transferred to vulnerable countries is portrayed as compensation for harmful emissions or simply as donor countries discharging their humanitarian duties. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 26. |
|
|
| 27. |
- Ejelöv, Emma, 1989, et al.
(author)
-
Push, Pull, or Inform - An Empirical Taxonomy of Environmental Policy Support in Sweden
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Public Policy. - 0143-814X. ; 42:3, s. 529-552
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Research on environmental policy support utilises different categorisations of policies, for example, differentiating between policies assumed to be perceived as rewarding or punishing. Do citizens' perception of environmental policies also lend itself to this categorisation? Based on an exhaustive sample of active policies in Sweden, this study presents a taxonomy of environmental policy support in Sweden. A fairly representative Swedish sample (N = 2911) rated the acceptability of 44 environmental policies. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that participants' acceptability of policies forms three categories: push policies consisting of regulatory and market-based disincentives, pull policies consisting mainly of market-based incentives, and informational policies, such as ecolabeling. Sociodemographics had small but consistent effects on attitudes towards the three categories, while political ideology had a larger effect across the categories. This study indicates that current academic categorisations may not adequately capture laypeople's perceptions, and discusses the importance of research on driving mechanisms behind the current taxonomy. © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press.
|
|
| 28. |
-
Global hållbar utveckling
- 2008
-
Editorial collection (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Globalisering och hållbar utveckling är för vår tid centrala begrepp. Här behandlas de från olika infallsvinklar. Vi får exempel på hur arbetet för ållbar utveckling går tll i Sverige och på den internationella arenan samt en historisk och etisk överblick. Att lära sig mer om ansvaroch rättvisa är avgörande för att komma fram till vad vi som individer kan göra för att bidra till ett hållbart samhälle idag och i framtiden. Boken kan användas i olika studiesammanhang, till exempel inom studieförbund och gymnasieskolor, men passar alla som är intresserade av dessa frågor.
|
|
| 29. |
|
|
| 30. |
|
|
| 31. |
|
|
| 32. |
|
|
| 33. |
|
|
| 34. |
- Hammar, Henrik, 1970, et al.
(author)
-
Tax Evasion and the Importance of Trust
- 2005
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Unless people pay the taxes they are obliged to pay, a general welfare state will eventually collapse. Thus, for the welfare state to survive in the long run, tax compliance is of utmost importance. Using Swedish individual survey data we analyze which factors affect the perception of tax evasion. The analysis is conducted on ten different taxes and the results differ widely. Hence, we show that it is important to study different taxes separately rather than treating tax evasion as one common phenomenon. In this paper we focus on the importance of different kinds of trust. Whether or not people in general are regarded as trustworthy only has a minor impact on perceived tax evasion. Instead, what matters is trust or distrust in politi- cians. People who distrust the parliament are more likely than others to think that tax evasion is common, and the result holds for most of the taxes studied. This may have severe long-run consequences for the welfare state. If people stop trusting their leading politicians, social norms about tax compliance deteriorate and the possibilities of collecting taxes for maintaining the welfare state are reduced.
|
|
| 35. |
|
|
| 36. |
- Hammar, Henrik, 1970, et al.
(author)
-
What explains attitudes towards tax levels? A multi-tax comparison
- 2006
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- We analyse Swedes´ opinions about the level of taxation for eleven different taxes to see what taxes people are most reluctant to and why. The most unpopular tax is the real estate tax, while the corporate tax is the least unpopular. We find a strong self interest effect in attitudes, and for corrective taxes information increases acceptance. We perform two case studies of Swedish tax policy and find political economy reasons for the recent abolition of the gift and inheritance taxes, and weak support for the ongoing green tax shift from labour to environmental taxes.
|
|
| 37. |
|
|
| 38. |
|
|
| 39. |
- Harring, Niklas, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
COVID-19: Large-scale collective action, government intervention, and the importance of trust
- 2021
-
In: World Development. - : Elsevier BV. - 0305-750X .- 1873-5991. ; 138:February 2021
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this article we apply a large-scale collective action framework on the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We compare the pandemic with other large-scale collective action problems – such as climate change, antimicrobial resistance and biodiversity loss – which are identified by the number of actors involved (the more actors, the larger the scale); the problem’s complexity; and the spatial and temporal distance between the actors causing and being affected by the problem. The greater the extent of these characteristics, the larger the scale of the collective action problem and the smaller the probability of spontaneous collective action. We argue that by unpacking the social dilemma logic underlying the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we can better understand the great variation in policy responses worldwide, e.g., why some countries are adopting harsher policies and enforcing them, while others tend to rely more on recommendations. We claim that one key factor is trust and, more precisely, reciprocal trust, both horizontally among people and also vertically between people and their governments – and vice versa. Citizens must trust that the recommendations they receive from the public authorities are correct, that these are in their (or the collective’s) best interest, and that most others will follow the recommendations. Simultaneously, government authorities must trust that their citizens will transform the recommendations into collective action. When this situation is present, we argue that governments enjoy a large degree of collective action capital, which potentially open up for a wider palette of policy options.
|
|
| 40. |
- Harring, Niklas, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
Cross-national analysis of attitudes towards fossil fuel subsidy removal
- 2023
-
In: Nature Climate Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-678X .- 1758-6798. ; 13, s. 244-249
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Removing fossil fuel subsidy could reduce the CO2 emissions and improve the use of government budget, while the feasibility is in doubt. This research demonstrates the public attitudes in developing countries are not worse than that for carbon tax, and better use of the public fund is preferred. In 2021, governments of 51 countries spent US$697 billion on subsidizing fossil fuels. Removing fossil fuel subsidies is crucial not only for reducing CO2 emissions and making carbon pricing more effective, but also for making more valuable use of government funds. Currently, however, scientific evidence on the scale and scope of public attitudes towards fossil fuel subsidy-removal policies is lacking, yet it is instrumental for gauging political feasibility. Furthermore, previous studies tend to focus on carbon pricing in the developed world only. Here we present a comparative analysis of attitudes towards both carbon taxation and fossil fuel subsidy removal, focusing on five developing countries across four continents. It is found that (1) removing fossil fuel subsidies is not more undesirable than introducing carbon taxation and (2) the public has more-positive attitudes towards subsidy removal if optimal use of the saved fiscal revenues is specified.
|
|
| 41. |
|
|
| 42. |
- Harring, Niklas, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
Explaining Ups and Downs in the Public’s Environmental Concern in Sweden: The Effects of Ecological Modernization, the Economy, and the Media.
- 2011
-
In: Organization & Environment. - : SAGE Publications. - 1086-0266 .- 1552-7417. ; , s. 1-16
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this article, the authors search for explanations to ups and downs in the Swedish public’s environmental concern since the 1980s. In line with previous research, this study examines the effects of economic cycles and media coverage. In addition, the authors hypothesize that the economy will affect environmental concern less over time because of the entry of ecological modernization into elite discourse. Using time series regression analysis and a unique data set, we study Swedish public opinion during more than 20 years. Economic cycles affect the public’s environmental concern but to a diminishing degree. Public environmental concern is also affected by the amount of media coverage. In accordance with earlier observations, it is concluded that both the economy and media content have an independent effect on public environmental concern. However, the previously observed conflict between economic cycles and public environmental concern is weakened, potentially because of the elite group embracement of an ecological modernization discourse.
|
|
| 43. |
- Harring, Niklas, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
Har vi råd med en god miljö?
- 2009
-
In: Holmberg, S. och Weibull, L. (red.) Svensk höst. Trettiofyra kapitel om politik, medier och samhälle. - Göteborg : University of Gothenburg. - 9789189673168 ; , s. 201-211
-
Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
|
|
| 44. |
|
|
| 45. |
- Harring, Niklas, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
Higher education, norm development, and environmental protection
- 2020
-
In: Higher Education. - : Springer. - 0018-1560 .- 1573-174X. ; 79:2, s. 291-305
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is a debate on whether higher education in the social sciences generates stronger democratic and environmental norms among students. In our study, we focus on students’ perceptions about legitimate rule in the case of environmental protection. We contribute to this debate by using a unique longitudinal data set from seven universities and university colleges in Sweden. Our results show that higher education in the social sciences does not generate stronger democratic or environmental norms, at least not in the case of environmental protection. We discuss why this is the case and refine our results further by looking at individual-level factors, such as gender and ideology.
|
|
| 46. |
|
|
| 47. |
- Harring, Niklas, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
Recycling as a large-scale collective action dilemma: A cross-country study on trust and reported recycling behavior
- 2019
-
In: Resources Conservation and Recycling. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-3449. ; 140, s. 85-90
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Household recycling contributes to environmental sustainability goals by limiting the extraction of natural resources. Previous literature has mapped out several factors, mainly at the individual level, that tend to increase individuals' tendencies to recycle. Inherent features of household recycling, however, suggest that a large-scale collective action framework should be relevant when analyzing this activity, meaning that trust, especially institutional trust should increase recycling frequency. This paper consequently does four things: First, it examines whether institutional trust is linked to individuals' tendencies to report recycling; second, it tests the role of generalized trust for reported recycling behavior; third, it looks at the relationship between institutional quality at the country level and reported recycling behavior; and fourth, the paper provides a new theoretical approach to test the link between trust and behavior, which is hypothesized to result in a positive relationship between institutional trust and recycling behavior but with a negative relationship among the most trusting individuals (i.e. a curvilinear overall relationship). Support is found for a positive link between generalized trust, institutional trust, and institutional quality as a country-level factor on reported household recycling. However, we fmd no support for a curvilinear relationship. Findings imply that institutional trust has a role to play in household recycling, but this relationship should benefit from further examination.
|
|
| 48. |
|
|
| 49. |
- Harring, Niklas, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
The significance of political culture, economic context and instrument type for climate policy support: a cross-national study
- 2019
-
In: Climate Policy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1469-3062 .- 1752-7457. ; 19:5, s. 636-650
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While many countries have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the choice of national climate policy measures demonstrates widespread variation. Although system of government, path-dependency and economic entanglements can explain a certain amount of variation in policy choice, research also points specifically towards the highly politicized nature of climate policy instruments and their sensitivity to public support as explanatory factors for cross-national differences. Previous studies hypothesize that various country-specific contextual factors determine both general preferences for environmental protection and the public’s preferences for different types of policy instruments. One suggestion is that countries’ prevailing political cultures have significant consequences for such public support. Another supposition is that, since countries differ in their economic dependency on climate detrimental industry such as fossil fuel production, this should be a significant factor determining both public attitudes and subsequent political decisions. This paper applies unique, original data from four countries with significant variation in (i) political-cultural contexts (Sweden and Norway vs New Zealand and Australia and (ii) economic dependency (Norway and Australia vs Sweden and New Zealand) to analyze how, and to what extent, these two contextual variables interact with, and moderate, the effect of individual-level factors on support for climate policy measures in the four countries. Furthermore, the paper explores variations in support for different types of CO2 taxes (directed towards individual consumers, industry, and fossil-fuel producers) in the four countries.
|
|
| 50. |
- Harring, Niklas, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
What Happens After Paris? Exploring the Cross-National Variation in Support for Climate Policy
- 2018
-
In: Paper presented at the 76th annual Midwest Political Science Association conference, Chicago, April 5-8, 2018.
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In accordance with the Paris agreement, the signing countries have undertaken to reduce their emissions of climate gases, implying more government intervention to steer actors with climate policy measures. However, states face very different possibilities for gaining support for such interventions, especially the ones targeting individuals’ consumption patterns, due to for example the variation in economic development, the quality of political institutions, and other country variates. Even though most of the research on climate policy support has focused on individual factors, such as ideological position, values and socio-demographic factors, there are also studies out there showing that there is quite some variation in country support for various climate change policies. Using newly published data from the European Social Survey we explore whether variation in climate policy support is associated with level of corruption and individuals perceptions about political institutions and people in general. More specifically we test if the support for economic and rewarding instruments is negatively associated with level of corruption and if the support for legal and punishing instruments is positively associated with level of corruption. In comparison with other instruments we find that political and generalized trust are most strongly linked to punishing and economic instruments, such as environmental taxes.
|
|
