Browsing by Author "Lacy, Mike, committee member"

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Open Access
Risk, place and oil and gas policy preferences among Coloradoans
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Mayer, Adam, author; Shelley, Tara O'Connor, advisor; Malin, Stephanie, committee member; Lacy, Mike, committee member; Loomis, John, committee member
Unconventional oil and gas extraction, primarily via hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), has changed the energy landscape in the United States. The policy regime currently governing fracking is a complex patchwork in which state regulators have the primary authority. Social scientists have thoroughly documented general beliefs and risk perceptions related to fracking there is a lack of policy-related research. This dissertation examined public policy preferences for fracking regulation using a survey data from a statewide sample of Coloradoans. Theoretically, it was hypothesized that policy support hinged upon factors like risk perceptions, benefit perceptions, place attachment, community economic identity and political ideology. Overall, risk perceptions and political ideology emerged as relatively consistent and powerful predictors of support for unconventional oil and gas regulatory policy. On the other hand, several possible predictors had little to no role. Benefit perceptions had little effect on any policy dependent variable. Further, community economic identity and place attachment played very little role. I discuss policy implications and directions for future research.
Open Access
The international barriers to renewable energy development
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Kinner, Colter H., author; Daxecker, Ursula, advisor; Saunders, Kyle, advisor; Lacy, Mike, committee member
Renewable energy is increasingly seen as a possible solution to problems such as climate change, population growth, economic development, and the limitations of traditional energy sources. Existing research on the international barriers to Renewable Energy Development (RED) is relatively dispersed and has not been subjected to empirical testing. This paper argues that the largest barrier to RED is a lack of enabling policies and regulatory frameworks. Using the degree of state interventionism as a proxy for enabling policies and regulatory frameworks, this paper expects a curvilinear relationship between government ownership of enterprise and RED. A cross national statistical analysis for the 1990-2006 period finds empirical support for many of the proposed barriers to RED. This paper provides researchers and policy makers alike with a better understanding of the international barriers to RED.
Embargo
The stories of U.S.: nationalisms among college educated white women who voted in the 2016 U.S. presidential election
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2025) Strapko, Noel, author; Hempel, Lynn, advisor; Opsal, Tara, committee member; Lacy, Mike, committee member; McIvor, David, committee member
Relatively recent sociological theories of nationalism understand the nation as variable processes whereby the nation is (re)constructed, albeit in different ways, via nationalism. Nationalism includes nation-oriented meanings and sentiments people embedded within socio-political contexts continually (re)formulate and imbue the nation with, which is how the nation is subjectively (re)created. Research on U.S. nationalism, however, primarily focuses on the subjective content of nationalism while the subjective contextualization of it remains understudied. In addition, although many aspects of nationalism are gendered, how women experience the nation and (re)create it is rarely examined. Addressing these gaps in the literature, this dissertation examines both the subjective content and the contextualization of U.S. nationalisms from the standpoint of college educated white women who voted in the 2016 presidential election. Utilizing in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews, I describe the various, yet patterned, ways America and Americans were constructed among interviewees and I examine the how they contextualized their expressions of nationalism. I argue "true" Americans' experiences with the American Dream were used to evaluate America's greatness, or lack thereof, which shaped the national sentiment the interviewees expressed. Findings provide key insight regarding: 1) the relevance of the American Dream for constructions of America, 2) how Americans and "true" Americans were constructed, 3) how gender relations, as well as those concerning other statuses, were used to contextualize nationalisms, 4) why expressions of nationalism can be ambivalent, and 5) how forms of nationalism are intertwined in constructions of American national membership.