Does Patriotism Inspire Environmentalism? Experimental Evidence from Bolivia

• In Event: (Re)distributive Policies, Elites and Non-elite Actors in Latin America

Abstract

Environmental management and climate change most severely affect marginalized populations (e.g., Indigenous groups) in rural areas but also have broader–although often more gradual and less immediately detectable–effects for other parts of the population. In lowland Bolivia, these issues have taken on renewed importance as deforestation and illegal mining have destroyed native peoples’ traditional homelands, disrupting long-standing economic, political, and cultural institutions and wreaking havoc on environmental systems necessary to humanity’s survival. Governments often fail to intervene due to corruption and—most centrally for this project—a lack of concern about environmental issues among the voters in major population centers who decide elections. Using an original experiment and survey of rural and urban areas of the Cochabamba region of Bolivia, we examine the conditions under which environmental issues become salient to individuals who are not immediately, materially affected by them. We do so in the context of manmade forest fires in Bolivia and argue that even in an unfavorable political climate, environmental issues can become politically salient when identification with the nation is high. Specifically, we investigate if patriotism can provide a non-material basis for supporting policies that otherwise do not materially affect an individual, and test mechanisms of symbolism and solidarity in invoking environmental concern.

Author

• Emily Warwick, University of Virginia