PULLMAN, Wash. ― Washington State University sociologist Erik Johnson has received a $150,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to create a series of databases that will track environmental organizations in Great Britain, Ireland, Canada and Australia.
Johnson and a team of WSU undergraduate research assistants will compile information to facilitate cross-national examination of environmental movements and groups engaged in sustainability efforts, natural resource and wildlife protection, and environmental health and justice advocacy.
The project, entitled “The Sequencing of Transnational and National Environmental Movements,” is an extension of Johnson’s recent research to gain a better understanding of the causes, forms and consequences of mobilization around environmental protection issues in the U.S.
“I am increasingly interested in cross-national comparative research on environment movements, interest groups and environmental public policy,” Johnson said.
Paul Whitney, senior associate dean in WSU’s College of Liberal Arts, said, “At a time in history when cross-national data sharing and cooperation are absolutely necessary to address global climate change, it is no exaggeration to say that the NSF funding for Erik Johnson’s research on environmental organizations and national policies will allow an outstanding WSU social scientist to make fundamental contributions to solving natural resource problems.
“What makes it even better is that WSU students will have an opportunity to play a role in collecting and analyzing the data from this cutting edge project That’s how you train the next generation of leaders to think broadly and deeply about the great problems of our time,” said Whitney.
Researchers, public policy makers, businesses and nonprofit groups interested in studying relationships between local environmental organizations and movements and the development of national public policy and global organizational infrastructures will have access to the searchable databases.
Johnson, who joined the WSU faculty in January, holds a doctoral degree in sociology from Pennsylvania State University, University Park. His areas of research specialization include environmental sociology, social movements, political sociology and organizations.
