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Article
Using Deliberative Democracy to Identify Energy Policy Priorities in the United States
Energy Research and Social Science
  • Casey I. Canfield, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Kelly Klima
  • Tim Dawson
Abstract

Energy policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change need public support to be successful. Deliberative democracy forums serve to both better inform the public of the available options and provide a way for policymakers to assess support for proposed policies. This work uses a pilot study in Pittsburgh to generate hypotheses regarding how a deliberative democracy process affects residents' perceptions of and support for City-wide energy policies to address climate change. A convenience sample completed pre and post-surveys during a deliberative forum: "Building a Resilient Pittsburgh: Climate Challenges and Opportunities". The surveys focused on knowledge, perceptions, and opinions related to the existence of climate change as well as energy policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Results suggest that the forum was useful in shifting perceptions, but did not significantly influence objective knowledge or policy support. Participants had a slight preference for energy efficiency strategies over renewable energy and public information. More research is needed to evaluate deliberative democracy approaches and expand these findings to a more diverse population.

Department(s)
Engineering Management and Systems Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
  • Climate,
  • Deliberative Democracy,
  • Public Engagement,
  • Resilience
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
6-1-2015
Publication Date
01 Jun 2015
Citation Information
Casey I. Canfield, Kelly Klima and Tim Dawson. "Using Deliberative Democracy to Identify Energy Policy Priorities in the United States" Energy Research and Social Science Vol. 8 (2015) p. 184 - 189 ISSN: 2214-6296
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/casey-canfield/8/