The Presence of Democracy and its Effects on Environmental Regulations

Bailey F. Waddell
Dr. Anton Daughters, Faculty Mentor

Democracy is a variable that is often used when analyzing the amount of success states have when trying to negotiate environmental regulations. This research hypothesizes whether countries that are more democratic, according to their Freedom House score, have tighter environmental regulations as depicted by their Environmental Performance Index (EPI) rating. This quantitative research uses multiple linear regression analysis to predict the correlation between environmental regulations and five independent variables: level of democratic freedom, use of a PR system, presence of a Green Party, GDP, and public interest in the environment. The dependent variable is measured using a country’s EPI rating, a scale from 1-180. The significant results found the level of democratic freedom is 99.9% accurate in predicting a country’s environmental performance, while how much citizens care for the environment is 99.4% accurate in predicting a country’s EPI rating. 

Keywords: democracy, environmental regulations, democratic freedom, multiple linear regression, EPI rating

Topic(s):Political Science
Environmental Studies
Interdisciplinary Studies

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA