scholarly journals Discursive framing in private and public communication by pro-nuclear corporate, political and regulatory actors following the Fukushima disaster

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 1585-1614
Author(s):  
Annika Beelitz ◽  
Doris M. Merkl-Davies
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Communication ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Learned Safety ◽  
Fukushima Disaster

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine a case of companies cooperating with the State to prevent a public controversy over nuclear power following the Fukushima disaster and achieve mutually beneficial policy outcomes. It analyses the private and public communication of pro-nuclear corporate, political and regulatory actors. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the political economy theory, the study examines how actors mobilised power by accessing an existing social network to agree a joint public communication strategy in order to ensure public support for the continuation of nuclear power generation in the UK. It traces discursive frames from their inception in private communication to their reproduction in public communication and their dissemination via the media. Findings The study provides evidence of pro-nuclear actors cooperating behind the scenes to achieve consistent public pro-nuclear messaging. It finds evidence of four discursive frames: avoiding knee-jerk reactions, lessons learned, safety and nuclear renaissance. In combination, they guide audiences’ evaluation of the consequences of the Fukushima disaster for the UK in favour of continuing the commercial use of nuclear energy. Originality/value The private e-mail exchange between pro-nuclear actors presents a unique opportunity to examine the mobilisation of less visible forms of power in the form of agenda setting (manipulation) and discursive framing (domination) in order to influence policy outcomes and shape public opinion on nuclear energy. This is problematic because it constitutes a lack of transparency and accountability on part of the State with respect to policy outcomes and restricts the civic space by curtailing the articulation of alternative interests and voices.

China's nuclear exports will target developing world

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Chinese Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Advanced Economies ◽  
Strong Position ◽  
Korean State ◽  
The Uk ◽  
South West England

Subject The outlook for China's efforts to export nuclear energy technology. Significance The UK government's decision this month to approve the construction of a nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in south-west England is seen as a breakthrough for the export ambitions of China's nuclear power companies, one of which is to take a one-third stake in the project. Impacts With many advanced economies spurning nuclear energy, China is in a strong position to help developing countries boost their capacity. State support will give Chinese firms advantages over other exporters, including Russian and South Korean state-owned firms. This advantage is likely to be sustained regardless of any setbacks Chinese firms face in advanced countries. The UK government's review of the Hinkley C project suggests greater scrutiny of Chinese involvement in future infrastructure projects.

Greater acceptability, lower compensations required? The impact of perceived net benefits on willingness to accept nuclear energy projects

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Contu ◽  
Elgilani Eltahir Elshareif
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Willingness To Accept ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nuclear Plants ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Support Cost

Purpose This paper aims to estimate willingness to accept (WTA) hypothetical nuclear energy projects and the impact of net perceived benefits across three countries: Italy, a country without nuclear plants in operation; the UK, a country with nuclear plants in operation and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has more recently opted for the inclusion of nuclear energy in its energy mix. These valuations can support cost-benefit analyses by allowing policymakers to account for additional benefits and costs which would be otherwise neglected. Design/methodology/approach Data collection was conducted through online nationwide surveys, for a total of over 4,000 individuals sampled from Italy, the UK and the UAE. The surveys included choice experiments designed to elicit preferences towards nuclear energy in the form of WTA, indicating estimated compensations for welfare worsening changes and questions to measure perceived risks and benefits. Findings The average WTA/Km is the lowest for the case of the UAE. What is more, perceived net positive benefits tend to decrease the WTA required by the UAE respondents? Moreover, across the cases, albeit to a lesser extent with regard to Italy’s case, there is evidence that a more positive benefit perception seems to increase the valuation of environmental and public benefits offered as part of the experiment. Originality/value The contribution of this study is primarily twofold: first, it provides a comparison of WTA values in a context where the availability of choice experiment data is scant; second, it assesses whether and to what extent perceived net positive benefits of nuclear energy impact WTA of nuclear energy projects.

Labour supply dynamics at the extensive and intensive margins of the UK men and women

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lixin Cai
Keyword(s):  
Labour Supply ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
State Dependence ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Tobit Model ◽  
The State ◽  
Individual Heterogeneity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Extensive And Intensive Margins ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to enhance understanding labour supply dynamics of the UK workers by examining whether and to what extent there is state dependence in the labour supply at both the extensive and intensive margins.Design/methodology/approachA dynamic two-tiered Tobit model is applied to the first seven waves of Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study. The model used accounts for observed and unobserved individual heterogeneity and serially correlated transitory shocks to labour supply to draw inferences on state dependence.FindingsThe results show that both observed and unobserved individual heterogeneity contributes to observed inter-temporal persistence of the labour supply of the UK workers, and the persistence remains after these factors are controlled for, suggesting true state dependence at both the extensive and intensive margins of the labour supply. The study also finds that at both the margins, the state dependence of labour supply is larger for females than for males and that for both genders the state dependence is larger for people with low education, mature aged workers and people with long-standing illness or impairment. The results also show that estimates from a conventional Tobit model may produce misleading inferences regarding labour supply at the extensive and intensive margins.Originality/valueThis study adds to the international literature on labour supply dynamics by providing empirical evidence for both the extensive and intensive margins of labour supply, while previous studies tend to focus on the extensive margin of labour force participation only. Also, unlike earlier studies that often focus on females, this study compares labour supply dynamics between males and females. The study also compares the estimates from the more flexible two-tiered Tobit model with that from the conventional Tobit model.

UK support for Hinkley Point is likely to continue

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power Station ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Investment Decision ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
Electricity Supply ◽  
Power Station ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk

Subject The project to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. Significance Reports that construction of the planned nuclear power station at Hinkley Point may be postponed will raise further concerns about the project's prospects as well as the long-term direction of the UK electricity sector. The reports follow weeks of debate in the United Kingdom and France over whether construction should go ahead and over further delays in the final investment decision on the project (now scheduled for May). Impacts Depending on how the French government decides to support EDF, approval by the European Commission may be needed. The Austrian government has legally challenged the Commission's approval of UK plans to support the project. The UK government's existing plans for maintaining electricity supply -- the so-called 'capacity auctions' -- may need to be revisited.

Iran deal will not relaunch nuclear power globally

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Power Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Nuclear Power Generation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Un Security Council ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Prices

Subject Impact of the Iran deal on civil nuclear energy. Significance The deal between Iran and the P5+1 powers (five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) will have little effect on the global deployment of nuclear power technology. The agreement could pave the way for new civil nuclear power generation in Iran. Elsewhere, civil nuclear power's prospects are restrained by high costs compared to alternatives, safety risks and political acceptance. Impacts Advanced nuclear power countries will encourage newcomers to meet their needs for nuclear fuel by relying on existing suppliers. Countries investing in new civil nuclear power are unlikely to also seek weapons capability. Low oil and carbon prices and the apparent reluctance of countries to mitigate climate change will constrain nuclear power investment.

scholarly journals The state, employment, and regulation: making work not pay

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Grady
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
The State ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Alternative Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Low Pay

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of specific active labour market policies (ALMP) and increased use of zero hour contracts (ZHCs) in creating an environment in which low-wage jobs flourish. Alongside these, it examines the role of financialization over the last 30 years in fostering the nuturalization of policies that institutionalize low wages and deregulate the economy in favour of big business. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws upon academic literature, official statistics, and analyses via the concept of neoliberalism. Findings This paper demonstrates that via a set of interconnected macro and micro factors low pay is set to remain entrenched in the UK. It has demonstrated that this is not the result of some natural response to labour market demands. Far from it, it has argued that these policy choices are neoliberal in motivation and the outcome of establishing low pay and insecure employment is a significant character of the contemporary labour market is deliberate. Research limitations/implications This paper encourages a re-think of how the authors address this issue of low pay in the UK by highlighting alternative forms of understanding the causes of low pay. Practical implications It presents an alternative analysis of low pay in the UK which allows us to understand and call into question the low-pay economy. In doing so it demonstrates that crucial to this understanding is state regulation. Social implications This paper allows for a more nuanced understanding of the economic conditions of the inequality caused by low pay, and provides an argument as to alternative ways in which this can be addressed. Originality/value The paper examines the relationship between the rise of neoliberalism and finance capital, the subsequent emergence of the neoliberal organization, the associated proliferation of ALMP and ZHCs, and the impact of these on creating a low-wage economy. It makes the argument that the UK’s low-wage economy is the result of regulatory choices influenced by a political preference for financialization, even if such choices are presented as not being so. Thus, the contribution of this paper is that it brings together distinct and important contemporary issues for scholars of employee relations, but connects them to the role of the state and neoliberal regulation.

scholarly journals Relevance of the Court Decision on the Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Plant in Relation to Paks II

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 305
Author(s):  
Dóra Lovas
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Energy Security ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
State Aid ◽  
The State ◽  
The European Union

<p>The aim of the article is to present the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the case of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. This investment can also be related to the Paks II nuclear power plant investment, therefore the two investments are compared too. Both projects were examined by the European Commission, which take an important part when the national aid was awarded to Hinkley Point C and Paks II projects, and the decision of the CJEU also had influence on it. The author considers the European Commission’s aid conception positive, because the less developed countries are not forced to use only the renewables, but the environmental and security aspects of nuclear energy are also allowed (e.g. Hinkley Point C and Paks II nuclear power plants). The subsidy was allowed in both cases, but the reasons are different. In these cases, the limits of the EU energy politics can be seen, i.e. the right to select the package and the priority of the energy security and sustainable development. To mention an example for the difference, in Great Britain the energy sector was divided among the participants on the market but in Hungary the nuclear energy remained under state control. In the first option the state wanted to prove that it grants offset for the help to the general market services and in the second option the market investor principle was highlighted in order to show no other market participant act in other way. These points were not accepted, the state aid was provided both cases with permissible reasons because the projects condescend the goals of environmental policy and energy security. The decisions show that as a result of the efforts to protect the environment the dependency on energy increased and it cannot be solved only be encouraging the usage of the renewables. The permissive attitude of the European Commission can be found here and it is influenced by the increased state regulative roles. According to the author, it also appears in the environmentally friendly decisions which refers to the Paris Agreement’s fulfilment and the involvement of environmental requirements into politics. Moreover, the European Union tries to maintain its leader role in economics, which can be reached by the decrease of energy dependency and the exclusive usage of renewable energies is not the appropriate solution. The CJEU judgement is relevant in several respects. The article focuses primarily on the issue of environmental protection, state aid and the relation between the Euratom Treaty and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.</p>

Nuclear Power and Politics in the Netherlands

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kees Aarts ◽  
Maarten Arentsen
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Chernobyl Accident ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Coalition Government ◽  
Electoral Performance ◽  
Fukushima Disaster

Nuclear power accounts for a low share only of electricity generation in the Netherlands. Plans for further expansion came to a halt due to a high-intensity nuclear energy debate and the Chernobyl accident. After a short resurgence in the early 2000s, political parties and voters shifted towards the anti-nuclear position after the Fukushima disaster. The chapter underlines the importance of path dependency in energy policy and concludes that government policies in consensus democracies with many political parties and coalition government are relatively unresponsive to public opinion and changes in the electoral performance of parties, because there is continuity in parts of the government’s composition in most cases.

Uranium price recovery has limited upside

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
First Time ◽  
Nuclear Group ◽  
Procurement Programme ◽  
The Eu

Subject Uranium prices and nuclear power. Significance The price of uranium breached 25 dollars per pound this month for the first time since last August. Boosted by Kazakhstan, the source of 41% of global uranium supplies, announcing last month that it will reduce production by 10% in 2017, the metal's price has been gradually recovering from last November's twelve-year low of 18 dollars per pound. However, the market remains oversupplied. Impacts Brexit may leave the UK nuclear sector without a regulator and short of fuel (21% of UK electricity generation is nuclear). Vietnam has abandoned its long-delayed plan to build its first nuclear power plant. South Africa has started a procurement programme to add 9.6 gigawatts of nuclear capacity. The EU has approved the 4.5-billion-euro (4.8-billion-dollar) restructuring plan of the French nuclear group Areva.

Technical hurdles may block China nuclear power plans

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
International Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
Electricity Supply ◽  
Energy Capacity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nuclear Plants

Subject China's nuclear programme. Significance China has the world's largest fleet of new nuclear plants and plans to increase its nuclear energy capacity more than fivefold over the next 15 years. It is one of the few countries to be adding to capacity, while expansion has largely stalled in Europe, the United States and Japan. Chinese companies have also started to sign deals with other countries to build plants there. Impacts Nuclear energy will enhance security of electricity supply in the economically crucial coastal provinces. Success in its domestic programme would position China to rival Russia in the international market. Nuclear power will help China tackle air pollution, currently a greater political liability than concerns about nuclear safety. Public opinion seems unlikely to become a barrier to expansion unless there is a serious nuclear accident.

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