PUBLIC DISCUSSION AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAWMAKING IN RUSSIA: MECHANISMS OF SYMBOLIC RESPONSE (2000–2023)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17072/2218-1067-2026-1-16-24Keywords:
symbolic legislation, issue-related legislation, environmental legislation, parlamentarism, environmental policyAbstract
This paper presents a quantitative analysis of the factors influencing legislative activity in the field of environmental policy in Russia from 2000 to 2023. The dataset includes the number of news articles on ecological events, legislative initiatives, and the actions of various legislative actors (members of parliament, government, and the president). Regression analysis was employed to identify the key relationships between the volume of environmental news coverage and the total number of submitted and considered environmental bills. The findings demonstrate that informational intensity is the primary driver of legislative initiatives: an increase in environmental news coverage is statistically significantly associated with a rise in the number of environmental bills. Additionally, a robust temporal trend was observed, reflecting a steady growth in legislative activity over the study period amid the development of both the media landscape and the lawmaking process. These results highlight the importance of public attention and media support in shaping the environmental agenda within legislative processes, and provide a foundation for further research into the mechanisms through which mass media influ-ences legislative dynamics in ecological policyReferences
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