Rethinking Climate Change Leadership

An Analysis of the Ambitiousness of State GHG Targets

Bibliographic Data

ID4073704
AuthorsDouglas Glasgow (0000-0001-6528-9085, Mercer University Health Sciences Center, corresponding author), Shuang Zhao (0000-0002-3392-0554, University of Alabama in Huntsville), Shikha Rai (0000-0001-6234-996X, University of Toledo)
Year2021
Volume38
Issue4
Pages398-426
Publication date2021-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReview of Policy Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1541-132X • E-ISSN: 1541-1338
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ropr.12428
OpenAlexW3175759981
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited63

Traditionally, diffusion policy scholars sought to understand state climate change policy leadership by exploring the speed of policy adoption. This study moves beyond these approaches by exploring factors that influence adoption as well as those that influence the content of a policy or policy goal intensity. Through the exploration of the first "wave" of state GHG reduction targets during the early 2000s, we create an innovative policy commitment variable that standardizes state emissions targets and explores the specific factors influencing these mitigation goals. Our results suggest that internal political factors (Democratic control of the legislature), lower state carbon dioxide emissions and dependency on coal production increases the likelihood of target adoption. However, the degree of GHG reduction commitments (content) are dependent on both internal and external factors, such as neighboring states adoption, carbon dioxide emission levels, citizen ideology, environmental interest groups, natural gas production and solar energy potential. These results support the growing literature on differentiating adoption and the content of a policy when analyzing the spread of policy ideas. Additionally, it suggests the limitations of states as climate leaders

Business · Climate change · Climate change mitigation · Democracy · Economic system · Economics · Energy policy · Environmental economics · Environmental resource management · Greenhouse gas · Ideology · Legislature · Natural resource economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public economics · Renewable energy · Climate Change Policy and Economics · Engineering · Policy Transfer and Learning · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance · Ecology

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