Environmental and Economic Risk Trade-Offs in a Transitional Society. R. Barke, A. Bostrom, and S. Gen, Georgia Institute of Technology; K. Paskaleva, Georgia Tech Research Institute; and P. Roukova, Bulgaria Academy of Sciences
This paper presents the first half of a two-part longitudinal survey of environmental and economic risk trade-offs within the contexts of political transition and privatization of an industrial facility. The Neftochim petrochemical plant in Burgas, Bulgaria is perceived as a major, local source of both economic activity and environmental degradation. In addition to the political transition in Bulgaria, state-owned Neftochim is likely to be privatized soon. These transitions are expected to affect local residents’ perceptions of economic and environmental risks and the trade-offs they are willing to make between them. While pilot survey data (N=34) suggest that environmental problems are not among the top three worries of most residents, their top environmental worries are Neftochim-related. This first half of the study surveys 250 people in the Burgas region, including samples from villages inside and outside the environmental plume and economic influence of Neftochim. The measured factors expected to affect risk trade-offs include 1) perceptions of, and beliefs about, environmental and economic risks, 2) values, such as the New Environmental Paradigm and post-materialism, 3) trust and perceived efficacy of institutions, and possibly 4) local political and legal circumstances.
Authors listed alphabetically. Supported by NSF grant SBR-9720684.
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