Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: New large hydroelectricity (hydro) power plants have been characterised as an essential component for Chile’s economic development. Rivers are the only locally available natural resource from which a sufficient energy output for the growing national demand can be provided with the currently existing technology; additionally, it is argued to be comparatively low in terms of economic and environmental costs.In recent years, the development of new hydro dams has faced increasing opposition from diverse ethnic, environmental, and political groups. Local opposition could be explained in terms of the environmental and societal costs that it bears upon the residents who live near to proposed projects. Additionally, the construction of dams in previous years has been linked to severe irregularities prompted by the national government and electricity generation companies. In a complex socio-political scenario, opposition to hydro has grown to become a national-scale phenomenon that deserves thorough consideration.Previous advances on socio-psychological research and theory, pointed towards three variables to be considered as potential explanations to account for the levels of acceptance of new power plants: perceived consequences, trust in stakeholders, and identification with contextually relevant groups. These issues were examined in four studies: through a thematic analysis of articles in Chilean newspapers; through a correlational assessment of the variables of interest, using a survey focused on the public views on electricity generation; through an experimental study focused on the relationship between identification with groups and trust; and finally, through integrative theoretical models, using competing structural models.Results from these studies support the central proposition that people form their views on hydro relying on the levels of trust that they hold towards stakeholders, and that levels of trust are influenced by people’s identification with dominant and subordinate national groups. Moreover, we propose that people adopt prototypical anti or pro-hydro norms from the groups they feel more identified with.
Author: Herman Elgueta
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2142064477