The Penn State School of Public Policy will host the 8th Annual Environmental Politics and Governance (EPG) Conference on June 28 – July 1, 2022, building on the success of previous conferences in Seattle, Zurich, Bloomington, Stockholm, Santa Barbara, and Oslo. The conference will consist of panels with research presentations, discussions, and plenary sessions.

Co-hosts: The College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State, Department of Political Science, Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE), Center for Energy Law and Policy, the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, and the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI)

 

Conference Co-chairs:

Xun Cao, Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Policy

Emily Pakhtigian, Jeffrey L. and Sharon D. Hyde-McCourtney Career Development Professor and Assistant Professor of Public Policy

Lilliard Richardson, Director of the School of Public Policy and Professor of Public Policy

Conference Coordinators:

Tammy Hosterman, Administrative Coordinator, The School of Public Policy

Brandy Phillips, Administrative Support Assistant, The School of Public Policy

Whitney Chirdon, Communications, The School of Public Policy

 

Program

View the EPG Conference Program

*The latest updates and any changes are reflected in the schedule on this page.

 

 

Schedule

Tuesday, June 28

4:30-6:30 p.m.	Welcome Reception at the Graduate Hotel
6:00-9:00 p.m.	Dinner, The Graduate Hotel

Wednesday, June 29

7:30-8:15 a.m.	Breakfast, Business Building Atrium
8:30-8:40 a.m.	Welcome and Introductory Remarks by Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts, Business Building Room 217
8:40-9:40 a.m.	Panel 1: Policy and Institutional Design, Business Building Room 217
9:50-10:50 a.m.	Panel 2: Determinants of Climate Change Policies
11:00 a.m.-Noon	Plenary Keynote with Francis Fukuyama, Business Building Room 110
12:30-1:30 p.m.	Lunch, Business Building Atrium
1:30-2:10 p.m.	Panel 3: Household and Local Policy Adoption and Responses, Business Building Room 217
2:20-3:20 p.m.	Panel 4: Regulation, Compliance, and Environmental Justice
3:30-4:50 p.m.	Panel 5: Public Support for Climate Change and Environmental Policies I
4:50-6:30 p.m.	Break, Business Building Atrium
6:30-8:30 p.m.	Dinner, The Graduate Hotel Ballroom

Thursday, June 30

7:30-8:15 a.m.	Breakfast, Business Building Atrium
8:30-9:30 a.m.	Panel 6: Climate Change and Migration, Business Building Room 217
9:40-10:40 a.m.	Panel 7: Political Impacts of Climate Change and Environmental Degradation
10:50-11:50 a.m.	Panel 8: Effects of Environmental and Climate Change Policies I
Noon-1:00 p.m.	Lunch, Business Building Atrium
1:00-2:00 p.m.	Panel 9: Effects of Environmental and Climate Change Policies II, Business Building Room 217
2:10-3:10 p.m.	Panel 10: Natural Disasters, Vulnerabilities, and Future Scenarios
3:20-4:40 p.m.	Panel 11: Public Support for Climate Change and Environmental Policies II
5:10-6:10 p.m.	Poster Session at the EMS Museum, 6 Deike Building (directions from the Business Building)
6:10-6:30 p.m.	Break (directions to the Graduate Hotel)
6:30-9:00 p.m.	Dinner and Natural Sciences Talk, The Graduate Hotel Ballroom

Friday, July 1

8:00-8:30 a.m.	Breakfast, The Graduate Hotel
8:30-9:30 a.m.	Panel 12: New Data, Methods, and Perspectives, The Graduate Hotel Ballroom
9:40-11:00 a.m.	Panel 13: The Role of International Organizations and Interventions

View the EPG Conference Program

 

 

Getting Around Penn State

 

Shuttle Transportation to Conference Venue

Wednesday, June 29	7:00 a.m. and 7:45 a.m.	Pickup: The Graduate Hotel (across the street at West Calder Way)	Destination: Business Building — Shortledge Road	*Pickup across Atherton Street at West Calder Way.
Thursday, June 30	7:00 a.m. and 7:45 a.m.	Pickup: The Graduate Hotel (across the street at West Calder Way)	Destination: Business Building — Shortledge Road	*Pickup across Atherton Street at West Calder Way.

 

 

Maps

Campus Map

Walking directions from the Graduate Hotel to the Business Building

Walking directions from the Business Building to the EMS Museum (Deike Building

Walking directions from Deike Building to the Graduate Hotel.

 

Panel Details

Panel 1: Policy and Institutional Design

Wednesday, June 29, 8:40–9:40 a.m. (217 Business Building)

• “Citizen Participation and Government Accountability: National-Scale Experimental Evidence from Pollution Appeals in China,” Mark Buntaine, University of California, Santa Barbara; Michael Greenstone, The University of Chicago; Guojun He, University of Hong Kong; Mengdi Liu, University of International Business and Economics; Shaoda Wang, The University of Chicago; Bing Zhang, Nanjing University.

• “Bureaucracy Matters: Administrative Structure and Performance in Brazil’s Federal Protected Areas Agency,” Gus Greenstein, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University.

• “Approximating Optimal Policies to Reduce the Spread of Invasive Species,” Zhengqi Liu, Department of Mathematics, Penn State; Ludmil Zikatanov, Department of Mathematics, Penn State; Katherine Zipp, Department of Environmental and Resource Economics, Penn State.

 

Panel 2: Determinants of Climate Change Policies

Wednesday, June 29, 9:50–10:50 a.m. (217 Business Building)

• “Climate Alignment: How the Spatial Relationship Between Interests and Parties Shapes Climate Politics,” Alexander Gard-Murray, Brown University.

• “Investigating the Drivers and Barriers of NDC Development,” Harro van Asselt, University of Eastern Finland Law School; Lauri Peterson, University of Eastern Finland Law School; Lukas Hermwille, Wuppertal Institute Global Climate Governance Research Unit; Sebastian Oberthür, Brussels School of Governance and University of Eastern Finland Law School.

• “Fueling Electric Vehicles: Motivation behind China’s Local EV Charging Infrastructure Subsidies,” Hanjie Wang, University of Washington.

 

Plenary Keynote – Francis Fukuyama “Governance and Climate Realism”

Wednesday, June 29, 11:00 a.m.–Noon (110 Business Building)

Francis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and a faculty member of FSI’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). He is also the director of Stanford’s Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy and a professor (by courtesy) of political science.

Dr. Fukuyama has written widely on issues in development and international politics. His 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man, has appeared in over twenty foreign editions. His most recent book, Liberalism and Its Discontents, was published in 2022.

 

Panel 3: Household and Local Policy Adoption and Responses

Wednesday, June 29, 1:30–2:10 p.m. (217 Business Building)

• “Just Transition Funds in the United States: Drivers of Adoption and Dynamics of Policy Design,” Hanna L. Breetz, Rebecca Shelton, Leah C. Kunkel, and Mokshda Kaul, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University.

• “Peer Effects in Residential Green Infrastructure Adoption,” Daniel A. Brent, Penn State; Douglas R. Wrenn, Penn State; Gabriel R. Lara, Penn State; Allison Lassiter, University of Pennsylvania; Joseph Cook, Washington State University.

 

Panel 4: Regulation, Compliance, and Environmental Justice

Wednesday, June 29, 2:20–3:20 p.m. (217 Business Building)

• “Implications of Squeaky Wheels: Environmental Justice and Citizen Complaints in Oil and Gas Regulatory Compliance,” Richard W. DiSalvo, Princeton University; Elaine Hill, University of Rochester; Lujia Zhang, Harvard University.

• “Feeling the Squeeze: Financial Stress and Drinking Water Spending in Municipal Water Utilities,” Sara Hughes, University of Michigan; Christine Kirchhoff, University of Connecticut; Katelynn Conedera, University of Michigan; Mirit Friedman, University of Michigan.

• “A Race to the Bottom in Environmental Enforcement: New Evidence from the United States,” David Konisky, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University; Neal Woods, Department of Political Science and School of Earth, Ocean, and the Environment, University of South Carolina.

 

Panel 5: Public Support for Climate Change and Environmental Policies I

Wednesday, June 29, 3:30–4:50 p.m. (217 Business Building)

• “The Threat of Automation and Public Support for Environmental Regulation,” Michaël Aklin, Department of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh; Liam F. Beiser-McGrath, Royal Holloway, University of London; Valentina González-Rostani, Department of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh.

• “Public Opinion and the Politics of Energy Infrastructure in the Developing World,” Meir Alkon, Political Science and Environmental Studies, Fordham University; Jennifer Hadden, Department of Government and Politics, University of Maryland.

• “Think Globally, Act Locally: The Determinants of Local Policymakers’ Support for Climate Policy,” Sabrina B. Arias, Department of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania; Joshua A. Schwartz, Harvard Kennedy School and Department of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania.

• “How Strong is Public Demand in the Global North for Sustainability Regulation of Global Supply Chains?” Dennis Kolcava, Keith Smith, and Thomas Bernauer, ETH Zürich.

 

Panel 6: Climate Change and Migration

Thursday, June 30, 8:30–9:30 a.m. (217 Business Building)

• “Who Identifies as an Environmental Migrant—The Role of Perceptions in Determining Causes for Migration,” Quynh Nguyen, Australian National University; Gabriele Spilker, University of Konstanz; Tobias Böhmelt, University of Essex; and Vally Koubi, ETH Zürich and University of Bern.

• “Drought Exposure Decreases Altruism Among Refugees: Evidence from Survey Data,” Stefan Döring and Jonathan Hall, Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University.

• “Environmental Change and Migration Aspirations: Evidence from Bangladesh,” Vally Koubi, ETH Zürich and University of Bern; Jan Freihardt, ETH Zürich; and Lukas Rudolph, ETH Zürich and LMU Munich.

 

Panel 7: Political Impacts of Climate Change and Environmental Degradation

Thursday, June 30, 9:40–10:40 a.m. (217 Business Building)

• “Does Air Pollution Drive Protest Around New Coal? Evidence from India,” Jennifer Hadden and Rithvik Yarlagadda, University of Maryland.

• “Burning the Pre-election Oil—Environmental Political Business Cycles in Vietnam,” Franziska Quoß, International Political Economy and Environmental Politics Group, ETH Zürich; Quynh Nguyen, School of Politics & International Relations, Australian National University.

• “Elections on Fire: The Effect of Fires on Political Behavior in Brazil,” Silvia Pianta, European University Institute and RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment; Paula Rettl, Bocconi University.

 

Panel 8: Effects of Environmental and Climate Change Policies I

Thursday, June 30, 10:50–11:50 a.m. (217 Business Building)

• “How Natural Resource Decentralization Reshapes Inequality,” Nathan J. Cook, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University; Krister P. Andersson, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Boulder; Michelle E. Benedum, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Boulder; Tara Grillos, Department of Political Science, Purdue University; Birendra K. Karna, ForestAction Nepal; Dil B. Khatri, Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies; Dilli Poudel, Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies.

• “Does the Selective Erasure of Protected Areas Raise Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon?” Derya Keles, Université de Lorraine, Université de Strasbourg, AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRAE, Bureau d’Economie Théorique et Appliqué (BETA); Alexander Pfaff, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University; Michael B. Mascia, Moore Center for Science, Conservation International.

• “Announcing a Green New Deal: The Role of Policy Signals for Stimulating Entrepreneurship,” Anna Stuenzi, IPW-HSG, University of St. Gallen; Andreas Schaefer, Department of Economics, University of Bath.

 

Panel 9: Effects of Environmental and Climate Change Policies II

Thursday, June 30, 1:00–2:00 p.m. (217 Business Building)

• “Estimating the Causal Effect of a State Gas Tax Hike on Carbon Emission: Oregon as a Case Study,” Can Chen, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University; Tian Tang, Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University; Hongtao Yi, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University.

• “Economic Impacts of Low-Carbon Energy Transitions: Evidence from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative,” Emily L. Pakhtigian, School of Public Policy, Penn State; Hilary Wething, School of Public Policy, Penn State.

• “Flood Zoning Policy and Its Impacts on Housing Characteristics in Texas,” Pin Sun, Department of Economics, Penn State; Douglass Noonan, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University; Lilliard Richardson, School of Public Policy, Penn State.

 

Panel 10: Natural Disasters, Vulnerabilities, and Future Scenarios

Thursday, June 30, 2:10–3:10 p.m. (217 Business Building)

• “Visibility and Vulnerability: Aid Allocations after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake,” Matthew Gordon, Environmental Studies, Yale University.

• “Predicting German Political Decisions on Climate Neutrality,” Freya Lenk , Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, University of Potsdam; Detlef F. Sprinz, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, University of Potsdam.

• “Coal Mining Decline and Opioid Overdose Mortality in Rural Central Appalachia: Need for a Just Energy Transition,” Zhongyang He, Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering and EMS Energy Institute, Penn State; Travis Young, Department of Geography, Penn State and Department of Environment and Sustainability, University at Buffalo; Jennifer Baka, Department of Geography and Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, Penn State; Sekhar Bhattacharyya and Zhen Lei, Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering and EMS Energy Institute, Penn State.

 

Panel 11: Public Support for Climate Change and Environmental Policies II

Thursday, June 30, 3:20–4:40 p.m. (217 Business Building)

• “The Effects of Air Quality on Citizens’ Preferences for Nuclear Energy: Evidence from Two Referenda in Taiwan,” Yi-Tien Liu, National Taiwan University; Yau-Huo (Jimmy) Shr, National Taiwan University.

• “Assessing Support for Climate Policies,” Renae Marshall and Sarah Anderson, University of California, Santa Barbara; Matthew Burgess, University of Colorado Boulder; Laith Al-Shawaf, University of Colorado Colorado Springs; Leaf Van Boven, University of Colorado Boulder.

• “Support for Federal Solar Tax Rebates is High but Threatened by Partisanship,” Keith Smith, ETH Zürich; Adam Mayer, Center for Global Change & Earth Observations, Michigan State University.

• “Supply Chain Dimensions of Decarbonization: A Survey Experiment to Assess Local Support for Thacker Pass Lithium Mining,” Azusa Uji, Kyoto University; Jaehyun Song, Kansai University; Nives Dolšak, University of Washington; Aseem Prakash, University of Washington.

 

Poster Session

Thursday, June 30, 5:10–6:10 p.m. (EMS Museum, 6 Deike Building)

• “Pre- and Post-Monsoon Variation in Household Water Insecurity in Rural Bangladesh: Implications for Water Access and Governance in the Face of Climate Change,” Lauren Broyles, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State.

• “Risk and Reward: Why Corporations Join Sustainable Finance Governance Initiatives,” Christian Elliott, Department of Political Science and Environmental Studies, University of Toronto.

• “Hive Mentality in Climate Governance: When Political Networks Hinder Innovation,” Laure Gosselin, Department of Political Science, Université Laval; Laurie Durel, Graduate School of International Studies, Université Laval.

• “Flood Risk in Redlined Communities,” Gabriel Ricardo Lara, Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics Program, Penn State.

• “While Nations Talk, Which Cities Act?” Marielle Papin, McGill University; Jacob Fortier, Université de Montréal.

• “Promoting Solar-Energy for Irrigation: Field Insights from Policy Attempts in India,” Praharsh M. Patel, Energy, Environmental, and Food Economics Program, Penn State.

• “Impact of Water-related Building Moratoriums on Housing Supplies in California,” Mingzhou Shen, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, Penn State.

 

Plenary “Catalyzing Interdisciplinary Collaboration Between the Social and Natural Sciences”

Thursday, June 30, 7:30–8:30 p.m. (Coaly Ballroom A)

Moderator: Seth Blumsack, Professor of Energy Policy and Economics and International Affairs, Penn State

Panelists:

Sarah Anderson, Professor of Environmental Politics, UC, Santa Barbara

Thomas Bernauer, Professor of Political Science, ETH Zürich

Sue Brantley, Professor of Geosciences, Penn State

Ken Davis, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Penn State

Aseem Prakash, Professor of Political Science, University of Washington

Tom Richard, Professor of Agricultural Engineering, Penn State

 

Panel 12: New Data, Methods, and Perspectives

Friday, July 1, 8:30–9:30 a.m. (Coaly Ballroom A, The Graduate Hotel)

• “Simulating Institutional Heterogeneity in Sustainability Science,” Michael Davidson, University of California, San Diego; Tatiana Filatova, Delft University of Technology; Wei Peng, School of International Affairs and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State.

• “Satellite Data for Causal Inference,” Luke Sanford, Yale School of the Environment.

• “Evaluating Conflict in Environmental Governance: An Application of the Policy Conflict Framework to the Study of Environmental Justice Councils,” Saba Siddiki and Graham Ambrose, Department of Public Administration and International Affairs, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University; Jangmin Kim, School of Social Work, Texas State University.

 

Panel 13: The Role of International Organizations and Interventions

Friday, July 1, 9:40–11:00 a.m. (Coaly Ballroom A, The Graduate Hotel)

• “Do Aspirational Goals in International Environmental Agreements Matter? Using History to Calibrate Reasonable Expectations for the Paris Agreement,” Hélène Benveniste, Center for the Environment and Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Michael Oppenheimer, School of Public and International Affairs and Department of Geosciences, Princeton University; Andrew Moravcsik, School of Public and International Affairs and Department of Politics, Princeton University.

• “Intergovernmental Organizations as Opinion Leaders: The Case of Climate Change,” Brian Greenhill, Department of Political Science, University at Albany, State University of New York.

• “Economic Sanctions and the Carbonization of Target States,” Emre Hatipoglu, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center; Mehmet Soytas, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

• “Climate Justice Frames and the Power of Small NGOs at UNFCCC,” Takumi Shibaike, School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary; Bi Zhao, Department of Political Science, Whitworth University.

 

International Steering Committee

Michaël Aklin, University of Pittsburgh

Sarah Anderson, UC Santa Barbara

Liliana Andonova, The Graduate Institute Geneva

Patrick Bayer, University of Strathclyde

Liam F. Beiser-McGrath, Royal Holloway, University of London

Thomas Bernauer, ETH Zurich

Mark Buntaine, UC Santa Barbara

Xun Cao, Pennsylvania State University

Andreas Duit, Stockholm University

Federica Genovese, University of Essex

Jennifer Hadden, University of Maryland

Jon Hovi, University of Oslo

Sara Hughes, University of Michigan

David Konisky, Indiana University Bloomington

Vally Koubi, ETH Zurich

Sijeong Lim, University of Korea

Mark Lubell, University of California, Davis

Jean-Frédéric Morin, Université Laval

Megan Mullin, Duke University

Aseem Prakash, University of Washington

Gabriele Spilker, University of Konstanz

Detlef Sprinz, University of Potsdam

Manny Teodoro, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dustin Tingley, Harvard

Mike Tomz, Stanford University

Rama Mohana Turaga, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad