Climate Policy Narratives of the Political Elite of Latvia (Parliament, Cabinet of Ministers, and Municipalities): Comparative Analysis

Description

The study aims to identify and compare the narratives about climate policy created by different levels of the political elite of Latvia, as well as to conclude their compliance with the basic settings of the European Green Deal.. The theoretical basis and methodological approach of the study are based on the concept of strategic narrative. The empirical basis of the study is based on the identification of the international context and the EU climate policy narrative in the debates of the Parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers, as well as an analysis of the pre-election programs of Latvian parties (the 2022 regional election programs). Applying a qualitative content analysis, all sources were coded using a common methodology developed within the project “From indifference to making difference in climate policy: improving the interaction between political narrative and societal perceptions in Latvia”.. Climate policy is not a frequently and widely discussed topic at any level of government - this issue is rarely discussed and mentioned only by a small part of the political elite. Also, only a few topics are selected for discussion, many important topics are not mentioned at all.The Climate Policy narrative of the Parliament, Cabinet of Ministers, and Municipalities is focused on three elements: (1.)energy, (2.)reduction of transport emissions, and (3.)waste management.. The topics discussed in the context of climate policy are similar at all levels of government, while at the same time t, they are adapted to the level of responsibility of the specific level of government. Comparing the topics discussed in the framework of climate policy in Latvia with the settings of the European Green Deal, a significant difference can be seen. Latvia's political elite has brought a much narrower range of topics to its agenda than the settings of the European Green Deal envisage.

Period	29 Mar 2023
Event title	RSU Research week 2023: PLACES
Event type	Conference
Conference number	3
Organiser	Rīga Stradiņš University
Location	Rīga, LatviaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International