Lazarus Adua

The Social Basis of Agro-Environmental Concern: Physical versus Social Proximity

In this study, we explore the social basis of environmental concern, specifically focusing on attitudes about the agricultural environment in relation to an individuals geographic and social distance from agriculture. We also consider the significance of rural recreational behaviors in relation to agro-environmental concern. The analysis, based on data from a statewide survey of Ohioans, reveals a strong relationship between ones geographic location along the rural-urban continuum and attitudes about agriculture and the environment. This relationship, though, does not exist once the effects of social proximity to agriculture are accounted for, suggesting that the relationship between residential location along the rural-urban continuum and agro-environmental attitudes may be spurious. The analysis also reveals a strong relationship between participation in rural recreation and attitudes about agriculture and the environment. We describe several conceptual and practical implications of this research for natural-resource management.

The human dimensions of climate change: A micro-level assessment of views from the ecological modernization, political economy and human ecology perspectives.

Understanding the manifold human and physical dimensions of climate change has become an area of great interest to researchers in recent decades. Using a U.S. nationally-representative data set and drawing on the ecological modernization, political economy, and human ecology perspectives, this study examines the impacts of energy efficiency technologies, affluence, household demographics, and biophysical characteristics on residential CO2 emissions. Overall, the study provides mixed support for the ecological modernization perspective. While several findings are consistent with the theorys expectation that modern societies can harness technology to mitigate human impacts on the environment, others directly contradict it. Also, the theorys prediction of an inverted U-shaped relationship between affluence and environmental impacts is contradicted. The evidence is somewhat more supportive of the political economy and human ecology perspectives, with affluence, some indicators of technology, household demographics, and biophysical characteristics emerging as important drivers of residential CO2 emissions.

Business Attraction and Redistribution by U.S. Local Governments To What Extent Is There a Zero-sum Relationship between Business and Citizens' Interests?

As localities increasingly confront challenging fiscal circumstances, how are they prioritizing the interests of business vis-à-vis citizens’? While some scholars suggest an inverse relationship between localities’ developmental policies and social services provision, a zero-sum situation, others question this view. The second group of scholars suggest a positive-sum relationship where governments attend similarly to the interests of both business and citizens or where efforts devoted to business do not undermine social policy. Analyses of a national survey of county governments reveal support for both views, although the positive-sum hypothesis receives more affirmation. Counties are sustaining social safety nets even as they pursue business-friendly developmental policies.