Many ways to say ‘no’, different ways to say ‘yes’: Applying Q-Methodology to understand public acceptance of wind farm proposals
- 5 July 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
- Vol. 50 (4), 517-551
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09640560701402075
Abstract
This paper explores the nature of public acceptance of wind farms by investigating the discourses of support and objection to a proposed offshore scheme. It reviews research into opposition to wind farms, noting previous criticisms that this has tended to provide descriptive rather than explanatory insights and as a result, has not effectively informed the policy debate. One explanation is that much of this research has been conceived within an unreflective positivist research frame, which is inadequate in dealing with the subjectivity and value-basis of public acceptance of wind farm development. The paper takes a case study of an offshore wind farm proposal in Northern Ireland and applies Q-Methodology to identify the dominant discourses of support and objection. It is argued that this provides new insights into the nature of wind farm conflicts, points to a number of recommendations for policy, and functions as an example of how this methodology can act as a potential bridge between positivist and post-positivist approaches to policy analysis.This publication has 69 references indexed in Scilit:
- Wind power implementation in changing institutional landscapes: An international comparisonEnergy Policy, 2007
- Planning of renewables schemes: Deliberative and fair decision-making on landscape issues instead of reproachful accusations of non-cooperationEnergy Policy, 2007
- Wind power, policy learning and paradigm changeEnergy Policy, 2006
- Characteristics of the UK wind resource: Long-term patterns and relationship to electricity demandEnergy Policy, 2005
- The effectiveness of different policy regimes for promoting wind power: Experiences from the statesEnergy Policy, 2005
- Renewable electricity in the NetherlandsEnergy Policy, 2004
- Policies and market factors driving wind power development in the United StatesEnergy Policy, 2004
- Social attitude towards wind energy applications in GreeceEnergy Policy, 2003
- Overcoming the ‘value‐action gap’ in environmental policy: Tensions between national policy and local experienceLocal Environment, 1999
- Planners' Alchemy Transforming NIMBY to YIMBY: Rethinking NIMBYJournal of the American Planning Association, 1993