The Conflict over Nuclear Energy: Public Opinion, Protest Movements, and Green Parties in Comparative Perspective

Autor(en)

Paul W. Thurner, Sylvain Brouard, Martin Dolezal, Isabelle Guinaudeau, Swen Hutter, Wolfgang C. Müller

Abstrakt

This chapter provides an account of the contestation of nuclear energy in Western Europe and beyond. It presents a new compilation of comparative public opinion data on nuclear energy, original data on protest behaviour directed against nuclear energy, and a systematic account of the development of Green parties. The focus is on the covariation of these factors with the behaviour of the established political parties and system properties (Kitschelt’s ‘openness’). The main function of the chapter is to show the relative strength of the ‘natural enemies’ of nuclear energy – concerned citizens, protest movements, and Green parties – in the countries covered by case studies (and beyond, where possible) and to understand how they interact. The chapter argues that neither public opinion critical to nuclear energy nor sizeable protest behaviour is sufficient to introduce anti-nuclear policy change.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Staatswissenschaft

Externe Organisation(en)

European University Institute (EUI), Institut d’études politiques de Paris, Université Montesquieu Bordeaux IV, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Seiten

65-97

Publikationsdatum

2017

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

506012 Politische Systeme, 506011 Politische Geschichte

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/49a197c8-6236-486e-84d1-5a7f2d9289ec