Multilevel Analysis of Civic Engagement and Effectiveness of Energy Transition Policy in Seoul: The Seoul Eco-Mileage Program

Jaewan Kim, Tae Yong Jung and Yong Gun Kim
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Jaewan Kim: Graduate School of International Studies, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
Tae Yong Jung: Graduate School of International Studies, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
Yong Gun Kim: Korea Environment Institute, Sejong 30147, Korea

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 23, 1-19

Abstract: The Seoul Eco-mileage Program is a representative project of the One Less Nuclear Power Plant (OLNPP) scheme, which addresses the energy transition policy of Seoul aiming to reduce CO 2 emissions. Unlike other governmental projects, the success of this program requires the direct participation of citizens. This study investigates the influence of civic engagement in participant towns (Level 1: 423 administrative towns) and districts (Level 2: 25 administrative districts) on CO 2 emissions reduction (kg CO 2 /membership) throughout 2017 in Seoul via multilevel modeling. Our results show that town-level civic engagement, as measured by voter turnout, is positively correlated with the performance of the Eco-mileage Program. Moreover, when civic engagement factors (social trust, volunteer activities, and citizen participation) at Level 1 interact with Level 2 factors (housing prices, motivation of district leaders, and energy-saving practices) in each district, we observed cross-level interactive effects on CO 2 reduction. Among Level 2 factors, the representative institutional capacities, such as financial independence and ordinance, showed positive correlations with the performance efficacy of the energy transition policy of Seoul.

Keywords: Seoul Eco-mileage program; civic engagement; CO 2 reduction; local energy transition; multilevel modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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