Triggers for Policy Change: The 3.11 Fukushima Meltdowns and Nuclear Policy Continuity

Abstract

The Fukushima meltdown in Tohoku, Japan served as catalyst for some nations, including Germany, Belgium, and Italy, to alter nuclear policies but had no impact on the approaches of a number of others such as Vietnam, China, and Russia. Why, despite facing the same focusing event, did private- and state-owned utilities in some countries alter their nuclear energy policies while others kept the status quo. Adopting a mixed-methods approach to understand this variation in energy policy outcomes, quantitative analysis of 84 countries based on a new, sui generis dataset shows that strong voice/accountability is negatively correlated with changes in nuclear power programs while media openness and political stability are positively connected with atomic energy decisions. Using in-depth case studies of Germany and Japan we further explore the role of domestic political institutions and country-specific norms to show more precisely how actors interacted with ideas to influence energy decisions.

Keywords: Fukushima, nuclear power, utility, quantitative, qualitative, decision making

JEL Classification: C33, Q48, Q49