International Political Economy & Environmental Politics (IPEEP) at ETH Zurich

Building Public Support for Costly Climate Policies Through Policy Design??? How can policymakers secure public support for ambitious and costly climate policies? Citizens often resist policies with high upfront costs, especially when long-term benefits are uncertain. In their latest publication in the?Journal of European Public Policy, Susanne Rhein and Thomas Bernauer explore how?reducing uncertainty about future policy benefits?can boost public support for climate action. Their study, based on a?conjoint experiment focusing on carbon removal certification standards?in Switzerland and the UK (N = 2986), examines how policy instruments that aim at mitigating uncertainty over future policy benefits can make high-cost policies more acceptable to the public. Key insights: 1. Policies that increase?confidence in their ability to deliver delayed benefits?receive stronger public backing, even if they come with high immediate costs. 2. Citizens’ support increases?when policy designs?visibly address weaknesses associated with the chosen policy solution, such as the insufficient durability of CO? storage for some carbon removal approaches.?Pilot phases can reduce support, even though they enable learning and capacity-building, because?citizens perceive them as unnecessary delays. 3. Transparent regulatory frameworks?for carbon removal certification can enhance policy support?despite increasing costs. ???Read the full article here:?https://lnkd.in/dmawp65x

?? Can Democracy Prevent Lower-Income Countries From Becoming Pollution Havens? In their latest publication in The Journal of Environment & Development, Thomas Bernauer, Tobias B?hmelt, and Ella H. explore how democratic institutions influence environmental outcomes in lower-income countries engaged in trade and foreign direct investment. Their findings show that democracy can help mitigate the pollution risks linked to economic openness, reducing CO2 emissions associated with trade and investment. ?? Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/dRVD2rSK

Inclusive policymaking to boost environmental and climate policy support ?? In their latest publication in Journal of European Public Policy, Sarah Gomm, Robert Huber, Dennis Kolcava, Keith Smith, and Thomas Bernauer explore how we can overcome public trust challenges in support of environmental and climate policies. Their findings reveal that procedural inclusiveness—involving diverse coalitions of actors in the policy design process—plays a crucial role. Using survey data from the Swiss Environmental Panel (N = 6,116), they show that including a broad range of stakeholders can mitigate the negative effects of low public trust. In fact, even citizens with very low trust levels show significantly higher support for policies crafted by inclusive coalitions. Key insights include: 1. Broad actor coalitions lead to notably higher support for environmental policies, even in low-trust contexts. 2. Trust in specific actors, such as political institutions or NGOs, becomes less critical when multiple stakeholders are involved in policymaking. 3. This inclusive approach can help ensure environmental policies gain the public support needed for effective implementation. ?? Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dzKK4wTT

How much should public transport services be expanded, and who should pay? ?? In their new publication in Transport Policy, Florian Lichtin, Keith Smith, Kay Axhausen, and Thomas Bernauer explore public support for expanding public transport (PT) services in Switzerland. Using a factorial experiment, they found that:? 1. Strong public support exists for service expansions, particularly for remote regions and when funded by the government.? 2. Even if lower ticket prices could lead to some reduction in service levels, over 50% of respondents also expressed support for such PT service designs. People seem to recognize the trade-offs involved when making tickets more affordable. 3. Political preferences shape opinions on funding, but overall support remains high across different groups.? These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers navigating public preferences around PT improvements. Read the full article here:? https://lnkd.in/dQkU2Wmi