| Abstract [eng] |
This master thesis examines the influence of media-constructed narratives in the aftermath of focusing events on environmental public policy change. The study analyses two high-profile environmental pollution events that were followed by a significant change in public policy, namely the adoption of a set of five amendments to environmental laws. There is a lack of consensus in the academic literature on the role of narratives in the public policy process, so this paper aims to examine two high-profile environmental pollution cases to find out how narratives constructed by the media in the aftermath of the high-profile events influence public policy change in the field of the environment, and to find out how these narratives explain the public policy process. The objectives of the study were: 1. To build a theoretical framework based on Punctuated Equilibrium Framework, Narrative Policy Framework and Framing Theory. 2. To analyse the policy narratives constructed by the media on the objects of the study and to see how they explain the public policy process. 3. To find out how the narratives constructed by the media have influenced the change of public policy in the environmental field. To complete these objectives, this paper employs a policy narrative analysis methodology. In the empirical part, 1,214 articles from major internet portals were analysed in different sections. The thesis reveals specific narrative components and general conditions under which narratives will have a greater impact on environmental public policy change. A clear understanding and specification of the problem are one of the most important components of a narrative, as it allows for the emergence not only of the villains and victims of the narrative but also of the heroes, who can take more decisive action to address the policy problems. The existence of the hero is of particular importance. If the narrative identifies the villain and the victim, a strong identification of the hero and their activities can lead policymakers to rethink existing policies. The factor of public involvement in the narrative is also crucial. If public par excellence is involved in the narrative, a backlash and a change in public policy can likely be expected. The strategy of constructing the media narrative is also influential. The narrative is more likely to influence public policy change if the strategy focuses on the issues' deeper causes rather than just the consequences. The thesis also reveals that narratives constructed by the media can explain the environmental public policy process and the emergence of significant change through narratology and political science synthesis. Narratives have helped reveal that, through key theory variables, it is possible to explain how public policy change takes place and why change does or does not occur. The analysis of the narratives revealed that public policy change in the environmental field is strongly influenced by the accumulation of environmental pollution cases perceived similarly by the public and policymakers, as in the examined high-profile environmental pollution cases. In conclusion, the paper shows that the narratives constructed by the media have a significant impact on public policy change as they determine how the public and policymakers fundamentally understand the current situation: the public becomes aware of what it lacks and needs, while policymakers, in turn, identify what political actions are necessary to avoid losing the symbolic capital and the public's trust, which allows them to take up the position of policymakers. Finally, narratives are shown to help explain the public policy process, which leads to the conclusion that elements of narratological science have a huge added value for the literature on the public policy process. |
