Original scientific paper
Democratic Ecological Policy
Ivan Cifrić
; Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb
Abstract
Based on the results of empirical research on a sample of 2714 examinees, the author discusses the perception of the means of human environment protection. The results presented refer only to one of the instruments included in the survey which was conducted in 1959. Each statement contained a Likert-type scale with values from I to 5.
In the data analysis the methods of relat ive numbers and arithmetic mean were applied on whose bases the author indicates that the most accepted statements are preventive action in ecological policy, and rigorous punishment of polluters including payment for the costs of environmental protection, ihe least desirable is the role of the state and the application of political means.
In order to establish a latent structure the method of component analysis under the PB criterion was applied, resulting in the extraction of one basic factor. By means of oblique rotation there emerged the OBQ dimension named "democratic - preventive mode of protection". Subsequently, the author examined the canonical correlations of this dimension with two other OBQs extracted by the same method (by means of another instrument containing 19 items) and identified as "anthropocentrism based on technology" and "naturalistic determinism". Thus the background of the "democratic-preventive policy" has been established as well as an integral concept of protection named "the advantage of the natural in democratic - preventive ecological policy." Between anthropocentrism and the democratic - preventive mode of protection a negative correlation is indicated and between the latter and naturalistic determinism a positive correlation (0.93) is indicated. The author concludes that the basics of democratic and preventive ecological policy depend upon the acknowledgement of natural laws and not human aspirations and wishes regardless of nature’s ability for self-reproduction.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
155378
URI
Publication date:
31.3.1990.
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