Political Stream. The second stream is home to visible participants such as Presidents, Senators, Representatives and political parties (Xxxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxx, 2015: Xxxxxx, HuB & Xxxxxxxxxx 2015). In this stream, the traditional governmental actors (elected or appointed) are bargaining and competing for power to develop policies. The parameters in the political stream are national mood, political pressure groups and governmental turnovers (Kingdon, 1995). The national mood is the notion that a large number of people want policy changes (Knaggard, 2015). The national mood is an abstract parameter as it is hard to obtain (Xxxxxx, 2009: Knaggard, 2015: Xxxxxxxxxx, 2016a). Obtaining the national mood could be done by conducting public polls, public gatherings, political and public correspondence, elections or how media outlets depict certain policy issues (Xxxxxxxx, 2015: Xxxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxx, 2015). Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx, Rupietta, Xxxxx and Xxxxxxx (2021) suggest that policymakers should select an alternative dependent on their perception of the national mood. This could be problematic as the political actors can have biased information sources (Xxxxxxxxxx, 2016). For instance, if one political actor only watches conservative media (e.g. Fox News) they could have a wrong depiction of the national mood. Xxxxxxxxxx (2015) broadens the concept of the national mood. Political leaders and interest groups use public opinion but also strive to sway it in a particular direction (Xxxxxxxxxx, 2015: Knaggard, 2015). They frame certain policy issues in line with their ideological interests making framing of a policy issue a significant factor (Knaggard, 2015: Zahariadis, 2015). Xxxxxxxxxx (2015) states "leaders seek to influence a policy decision not only by taking advantage of the current national mood but also by framing the mood in a politically expedient way" (p. 468). The use of fear and emotions are considered to be a useful tool to sway the mood (Knaggard, 2015: Xxxxxxxxxx, 2015). Therefore it should be noted that the national mood does not necessarily depict the stances of the majority of the public. However, due to the importance of the national mood in the policymaking dynamics, these will be included. Especially before and during the presidential elections of 2016. Political pressure groups are the second parameter in the political stream. As mentioned prior, the concept of political pressure groups in the political stream is home to the visible participants (e.g. political...
Political Stream. The first parameter that will be analysed in the political stream is the national mood. As mentioned in the theoretical framework, this parameter is hard to measure and obtain. However, it remains an important parameter to analyse as it could have considerable ramifications for policies (Xxxxxxxxxx, 2015). Political leaders and pressure groups can use the national mood to justify their decisions but can also sway the mood in a particular direction (Xxxxxxxxxx, 2015: Knaggard, 2015). The framing of climate change policies from an ideological perspective makes it a significant factor to analyse. Where both national mood and governmental turnover coincide is in Congress. Every two years, congressional elections are held in the US where different candidates strive to be elected. Congressional elections can be seen as important indicators of the national mood which also result in turnovers in House committees (Zahariadis, 2015: Keizra, 2014). Therefore, this thesis will analyse congressional committee reports. More specifically the Committee on Science, Space and Technology (SS&T). They are a standing committee (meaning they are relatively permanent) that has jurisdiction over the scientific research and policy development of climate change policies (House Committee on Science, Space & Technology, 2021). Furthermore, they decide the budget for the EPA and are tasked with oversight over the EPA. This committee comprises of Democrats and Republicans. The committee has 40 seats and the appointment of seats per party depends on the congressional elections which are held every two years. These elected officials can take positions in the committee on SS&T to make a public statement (Keizra, 2014). By doing so, they can appeal to voters in their districts and state they are for or against certain climate change policies. The composition of the committee can thus reflect the national mood. For instance, the Vice- Chairman of the committee in 2013 was Republican Representative of California, Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx. He campaigned against climate change regulations and is a climate change sceptic (Hand, 2018). He lost after the congressional election of 2018, after 30 years of service in Congress. A survey by Global Strategy Group in his district suggested that Xxxxxxxxxx lost due to his stance on climate change. California has seen heavy wildfires this decade and his climate sceptic approach led to a swing in his districts mood. This resulted in him losing to a liberal candidat...
Political Stream. Xxxxxxx (1995) stated that a change of government may be enough to change policies. After the 2016 election in the US, Xxxxxx Xxxxx became president and this resulted in a governmental and administrative turnover. Meaning that this event led to a change in cabinet members and high ranking civil servants. Aside from the presidential elections, congressional elections that resulted in a shift in the national mood will also be analysed. This will be done by analysing the composition of the House Committee on SS&T and their reports. This Committee has authority over the EPA and jurisdiction over climate change policies making it an important actor to analyse in the political stream. The timeframe of the political stream will be between 2013-2018. It will start with the 113th (2013-2014) and then the 114th congress (2015-2016). The congressional elections prior to the presidential elections of 2016 could depict the national mood at that time. After the analysis of the 113th and 114th House Committee on SS&T, the governmental and administrative turnover as a result of the 2016 elections will be analysed. In doing so it will examine whether expectation 2 can be confirmed.
