Suchergebnisse

Hydraulic fracturing is a novel technological development that has pushed the extraction of energy resources forward. As technology improves and world oil and gas markets shift, more shale formations are being uncovered, and new drilling activities are seen as economically viable. I examine the ways in which residents perceive environmental and health risks of hydraulic fracturing in the Eagle Ford Shale region of Texas, and how these perceptions differ depending on social position and where the resident is receiving their information. To understand how residents perceive the environmental and health risks associated with the Eagle Ford Shale oil and gas boom, or if these perceptions differ by social status and information sources, I conducted a qualitative analysis of key informant and focus group interview data, coding for major themes found in interview transcripts. I found that groups in lower social positions had increased concern regarding environmental and health risk perceptions than those in higher social positions. Additionally, respondents in lower social positions discussed all environmental and health risk perceptions with a relatively higher breadth and depth than those in higher social positions. Regarding information sources, those in higher social positions tend to receive more of their information on hydraulic fracturing from government officials and industry. Those in lower social positions receive more information from interpersonal networks, although they generally discussed a general lack of information concerning oil and gas development. These findings contribute to a relatively small field of growing research on resident perceptions in a hydraulic fracturing context. This research also brings attention to rural populations who are being uniquely impacted by hydraulic fracturing and provides insight into a region, the Eagle Ford Shale, where there is a need for more scholarly research.

This article examines if Latin American nations would be helped by a participatory budgeting scheme for science at a time when their traditional exports of commodities are facing low prices; there is a need for industrial diversification; and there are high private‐debt levels, persistent poverty and inequality, and fiscal problems. Attempting to solve these issues has threatened the progress of science and technology policies over the last decade in Latin America at a time when countries such as China, Korea, Israel, and Finland were becoming increasingly competitive in science and technology. The article further examines the political pressures and resource competition that science and technology funding faces in Latin America, showing how a participatory budgeting scheme for science would invest in technology startups, remove reliance on taxation for science and technology funding, manage risk, supplement the incomes of citizens, and grant funds for basic research in Latin America. Finally, the article shows how the scheme would facilitate cooperation between Latin American business, the international science community, the general public, and government through investing in rather than taxing technology startups, while making sure that the general public receives more of a share of the economic gains from scientific discoveries in Latin America.