U.S. alternative fuel policy, 1975-2007

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 296-310).This dissertation investigates the policy-making process that led to three "crash programs" for alternative fuels after energy shocks in the 1970s and early 2000s: (1) the proposed Energy Independence Authority in 1975-1976, (2) the Synthetic Fuels Corporation in 1979-1980, and (3) the revised Renewable Fuel Standard in 2007. These were massively ambitious programs, with enormous budgets and unachievable technological goals. What makes them truly puzzling, though, is that they were major policies that emerged without major advocates. Although various interest groups and constituencies supported the development of alternative fuels, neither the powerful industry lobbies (oil, coal, corn, ethanol) nor the public interest groups (environment) had previously advocated for interventions of this scope and scale. This presents a fundamental empirical puzzle for public policy scholars, as it contradicts our understanding of the drivers of policy change. Typically, the policy process literature portrays radical policy change as resulting from the strategic efforts of interest or advocacy groups during a window of opportunity. Here, however, radical policy change occurred in the absence of lobbying or advocacy efforts. What explains this phenomenon? How do we account for the creation of these programs? What conditions and sequence of decision-making led to these policy outcomes? This dissertation develops an alternative model of "politician-driven policymaking." Public alarm over a deepening national crisis is the catalyst for this process. It gives rise to two coupled mechanisms: "bidding up," in which the President and Congress compete for leadership during the crisis, and "signing on," in which interest groups and minority Congressional groups bargain and often bandwagon with the legislative proposals.by Hanna L. Breetz.Ph.D

Water Quality Trading and Offset Initiatives in the U.S.: A Comprehensive Survey

This document summarizes water quality trading and offset initiatives in the United States, including state-wide policies and recent proposals. The following format was used to present information on each program. We attempted to have each program summary reviewed by at least one contact person for program accuracy. In the cases where this review occurred, we added the statement "Reviewed by.." at the end of the case summary

Measures of a sustainable commute as a predictor of happiness

The ways in which we travel—by what mode, for how long, and for what purpose—can affect our sense of happiness and well-being. This paper assesses the relationships between measures of the sustainability of transportation systems in U.S. metropolitan areas and subjective well-being. Associations between self-reported happiness levels from the Gallup Healthways Well-being Index and commute data were examined for 187 core-based statistical areas (CBSA). Wealsosupplementthisquantitativeanalysisthroughbriefcasestudiesofhigh-andlow-performing happiness cities. Our quantitative results indicate that regions with higher commute mode shares by non-automobile modes generally had higher well-being scores, even when controlling for important economic predictors of happiness. We also find that pro-sustainable transportation policies can have implications for population-wide happiness and well-being. Our case studies indicate that both high and low scoring happiness cities demonstrate a dedicated commitment to improving sustainable transportation infrastructure. Our study suggests that cities that provide incentives for residents to use more sustainable commute modes may offer greater opportunity for happiness than those that do not

Trust and Communication: Mechanisms for Increasing Farmers’ Participation in Water Quality Trading

Trust and communication barriers have contributed significantly to the lethargic performance of many point-nonpoint source water quality trading programs—farmers are often reluctant to participate despite direct financial incentives— yet the literature lacks a comprehensive investigation of how the social context affects trading outcomes.We draw on social embeddedness theory to analyze three mechanisms of communicating with farmers and conduct a case study analysis of 12 water quality trading programs. We find that employing trustworthy third parties or embedded ties may reduce farmers’ reluctance to participate, although the most effective mechanism ultimately depends on local conditions and program objectives.

Partnerships between organizations that manage protected land in California are associated with groups with environmentally oriented missions

Abstract Partnerships between organizations that engage in land protection are promoted as a way to improve the efficiency of limited conservation budgets. However, limited empirical exploration of the types of organizations involved in partnering and their organizational objectives precludes a holistic understanding of how to integrate partnering into planning for improved conservation outcomes. Using data on protected areas from California, United States, we explored the frequency and extent of partnering between managing organizations. In addition, we analyzed mission statements of partnering and non‐partnering organizations to explore whether organizational objectives were related to observed partnering behavior. We estimated that partnerships managed about 7 million acres, comprising 8% of total protected land area, in California. Furthermore, the organizations that we observed partnering tended to use more environmental themed language in their mission statements, while non‐partnering organizations tended to use language with socioeconomic themes. These results provide empirical evidence of partnering and support further exploration of it as a potentially important mechanism to improve conservation outcomes. In addition, they suggest that current partnering patterns and future opportunities to expand partnerships in protected land management likely depend on organizations pursuing wildlife and nature focused conservation objectives, and to a lesser extent socioeconomic objectives