Events-based Discourse Network Analysis (EDNA): Examining the Impact of Scientific Discoveries on Congressional Climate Discourse

• In Event: 30810 - Environmental Policymaking in Uncertain Times

Abstract

The intersection of science and politics plays a crucial role in shaping public policy, especially on complex and contentious issues such as climate change and environmental protection. In the U.S. Congress, political elites, particularly legislators, form discourse communities, indicated by their shared discursive strategies communicated via public speeches and discussions about key issues. These discursive strategies can signal important changes in the ways that legislators may respond to issues of import, and are themselves shaped by public events such as major disasters, sudden demographic shifts, and new innovations. In this research, we look at climate-relevant scientific discoveries as public events and measure their effects on legislative discourse surrounding climate and environmental issues. We make use of a new methodological strategy called, Events-based Discourse Network Analysis (EDNA) in order to measure discursive strategies, and the communities formed by their shared use, before and after such scientific events.

Authors

• Heather Harper, New Mexico State University

• Thomas Anthony Frost, New Mexico State University

• Mackenzie Brooklyn Dybvik, New Mexico State University