Speaking about Climate Policy: Which Groups Testify Most Often Before French Lawmakers?

• In Event: 30810 - Environmental Policymaking in Uncertain Times

Abstract

Drawing on archival data of all hearings conducted by French lawmakers on major bills related to climate policy between 1995 and 2021, this paper analyzes the categories of people who are called to provide testimony. Identifying the affiliation and status of every person heard before parliament, we track which groups are heard most often and measure their interventions over time. We find that in over 2663 “interventions,” state agencies, NGOs, and businesses are the most commonly solicited groups. In contrast, experts from research institutions and representatives of activist organizations are frequently absent. This finding suggests that people with access to institutional and financial resources are most likely to have their interests represented when French lawmakers are drafting climate legislation. In the context of a general “crisis of expertise” in democratic countries, where technocrats are often portrayed as out of touch with popular will, this paper sheds light on which kinds of elites have the ear of lawmakers, at least in public. While much of the critique often focuses on academics, our data suggest that their presence in formal parliamentary settings is relatively limited. In France, the dominant voices are outside the academy. If researchers and activists want to be heard more frequently, they may have to collaborate more actively with their allies inside state agencies, the private sector, and non-profits who already have a place at the table.

Authors

• Michael Stambolis-Ruhstorfer, Université Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès

• Lucy Da Costa, Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès