Thesis Title:
The impact of progressive climate and energy policies on the support for European Green parties in (un) favourable conditions
Thesis Abstract:
As often regarded as green issues “owner” and a niche party, the Green parties’ (Greens) votes share indicates the public environmental concern and the feasibility of achieving the EU’s ambitious green goals in the next term. In the recent European Parliament election, the Greens lost 2.8% of the popular vote. While the results can be attributed to the challenging economic conditions, the assertion that the Greens faced universal setbacks is not accurate, compared to the 2009 and 2014 election results. The research compares the Greens and its left-wing party family with populist parties and its right-wing party family, instead of only focusing on mainstream parties.
It explores whether and how the way people vote correlate with the climate and energy policies under the unfavourable conditions such as Covid-19 and Russia-Ukraine War. I argue that the more progressive climate and energy policies are likely to reduce support for the Greens under the unfavourable conditions, while increasing support for the far right-wing populist parties driven by public material self-interest. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach combining political science, econometrics, and public policy, the research offers insights on how the green policies influence societal attitudes and political outcomes, whether aligning with post-material green values or material concerns such as income levels. The research aims to provide evidence-based recommendations to political actors for designing environmental policies. It also contributes to the existing literature by providing a broader understanding of how the EU advances climate actions facing exogenous challenges.
Primary Supervisor:
Dr Julian Limberg
Publications:
- International Institutional Linkages between Ecological Challenges and Human Health, in Minghung, W., eds. Ecological and Human Health Impacts of Contaminated Food and Environments (1st ed.), CRC press.