Public Attitudes Towards Environmental Taxation: The Interplay Between Values, Trust, and Quality of Government
Abstract
Environmental problems are commonly understood to be rooted in collective action dilemmas where the rational course of action for individuals is to engage in polluting activities to receive short-term benefits, while the long-term costs of those activities are borne by the collective. Voluntary cooperation to solve large-scale collective action problems such as climate change is unlikely. Thus, state intervention is needed to enforce cooperation through implementation of various climate policy instruments. These tools are more likely to be successfully and effectively implemented if they are supported by citizens. Policy experts argue that environmental taxation is the most effective way to mitigate climate change; however, public support is lacking. This dissertation investigates whether the institutional context, specifically perceptions of low quality of government (QoG), moderates the link between individuals’ pro-environmental and political-ideological value orientations and climate policy attitudes. Analyzing cross-sectional and original survey experimental data, the dissertation examines if quality of government shapes the climate policy attitudes of citizens, and through what mechanisms. The analyses show that perceptions of poor institutional quality lower trust in political actors and institutions, and generate negative climate policy attitudes even among those who otherwise hold pro-environmental values and concerns and favorable attitudes towards government regulation. The dissertation contributes to an improved understanding of the determinants of climate policy attitudes and more informed recommendations for policymakers, and will hopefully also inspire further research on how institutional factors affect the prospects for effective climate policy.
Parts of work
Davidovic, D. & Harring, N. (2020) Exploring the cross-national variation in public support for climate policies in Europe: The role of quality of government and trust. Energy Research & Social Science 70: 101785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101785 Davidovic, D., Harring, N. & Jagers, S.C. (2020) The contingent effects of environmental concern and ideology: Institutional context and people’s willingness to pay environmental taxes. Environmental Politics 29(4): 674-696. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2019.1606882 Davidovic, D. (2022) Quality of government, trust, values, and public support for taxation for climate change mitigation: Evidence from 135 European regions. Unpublished manuscript. Davidovic, D. (2023) Corruption perceptions, trust, and attitudes towards carbon taxes: Survey experimental evidence from Mexico and Sweden. Unpublished manuscript.
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
University
University of Gothenburg. Faculty of Social Sciences
Göteborgs universitet. Samhällsvetenskapliga fakulteten
Institution
Department of Political Science ; Statsvetenskapliga institutionen
Disputation
Tisdagen den 12 september 2023, kl. 13.15, Torgny Segerstedtssalen, Universitetets huvudbyggnad, Vasaparken 1, Göteborg.
Date of defence
2023-09-12
Date
2023-06-16Author
Davidovic, Dragana
Keywords
Climate policy attitudes
Taxation
Value orientations
Trust
Quality of Government
Publication type
Doctoral thesis
ISBN
978-91-8069-328-8
Series/Report no.
Göteborg Studies in Politics 179
Language
eng