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Desikan A, MacKinney T, Kalman C, Carter JM, Reed G, Goldman GT. An equity and environmental justice assessment of anti-science actions during the Trump administration. J Public Health Policy 2023; 44:147-162. [PMID: 36737622 PMCID: PMC9896454 DOI: 10.1057/s41271-022-00390-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
In the United States, science shapes federal health and safety protections, but political officials can and do politicize federal science and science-based safeguards. Many presidential administrations have politicized science, but under the administration of President Trump, these attacks on science-such as buried research, censored scientists, halted data collection-increased in number to unprecedented levels. Underserved communities bore the brunt of the harms. Such attacks disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, low-income communities, and communities of color, all of whom have long been burdened by pollution exposure and other stressors. We analyze the effects on underserved communities of the Trump administration's anti-science environmental and public health policy actions and offer policy recommendations for current and future administrations. Our goal is to strengthen scientific integrity, prioritize health disparity research, and meaningfully engage affected communities in federal rulemaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Desikan
- Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Taryn MacKinney
- Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Casey Kalman
- Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jacob M Carter
- Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Genna Reed
- Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Gretchen T Goldman
- Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, DC, USA
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Rodriguez JM, Geronimus AT, Bound J, Wen R, Kinane CM. Partisan Control of U.S. State Governments: Politics as a Social Determinant of Infant Health. Am J Prev Med 2022; 62:1-8. [PMID: 34446314 PMCID: PMC10929005 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION State policies and programs affect population health; yet, little is known about the connections between health and the political institutions and actors that prescribe and execute those policies and programs. METHODS The 2-way fixed-effects regression models were fitted to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, 1969-2014, to estimate logged infant mortality rate differentials between Republican- and non-Republican‒controlled state legislatures. These data were used in 2020 to hypothesize that net of trend, fluctuations in infant mortality rates-overall and by race-correlate with the party that controls state legislatures (the Lower House, the Upper House, and Congress). RESULTS Findings show that state infant and postneonatal mortality rates are substantively higher under Republican-controlled state legislatures than under non-Republican‒controlled ones. The effect size is larger for postneonatal than for neonatal mortality. Findings suggest that effects may be greater for Black than for White infants, although the race-specific results are estimated imprecisely. The governor's party shows no substantive impacts on infant mortality rates net of party control of the Lower House. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the proposition that the social determinants of health are constructed, at least in part, by the power vested in governments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier M Rodriguez
- Department of Politics & Government, School of Social Science, Policy & Evaluation, Claremont, Graduate University, Claremont, California.
| | - Arline T Geronimus
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - John Bound
- Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Economics, LSA College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Rixin Wen
- Department of Politics & Government, School of Social Science, Policy & Evaluation, Claremont, Graduate University, Claremont, California
| | - Christina M Kinane
- Department of Political Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
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Sullivan M, Fredrickson L, Sellers C. The EPA's Commitment to Children's Environmental Health: History and Current Challenges. Am J Public Health 2022; 112:124-134. [PMID: 34936388 PMCID: PMC8713602 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2021.306537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Children's environmental health (CEH) has a 25-year history at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), during which the agency has advanced CEH through research, policy, and programs that address children's special vulnerability to environmental harm. However, the Trump administration took many actions that weakened efforts to improve CEH. The actions included downgrading or ignoring CEH concerns in decision-making, defunding research, sidelining the Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee, and rescinding regulations that were written in part to protect children. To improve CEH, federal environmental statutes should be reviewed to ensure they are sufficiently protective. The administrator should ensure the EPA's children's health agenda encompasses the most important current challenges and that there is accountability for improvement. Guidance documents should be reviewed and updated to be protective of CEH and the federal lead strategy refocused on primary prevention. The Office of Children's Health Protection's historically low funding and staffing should be remedied. Finally, the EPA should update CEH data systems, reinvigorate the role of the Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee, and restore funding for CEH research that is aligned with environmental justice and regulatory decision-making needs. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(1):124-134. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306537).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Sullivan
- Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Leif Fredrickson is with the Department of History, University of Montana, Missoula. Chris Sellers is with the Department of History, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
| | - Leif Fredrickson
- Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Leif Fredrickson is with the Department of History, University of Montana, Missoula. Chris Sellers is with the Department of History, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
| | - Chris Sellers
- Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Leif Fredrickson is with the Department of History, University of Montana, Missoula. Chris Sellers is with the Department of History, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
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Matuszczak A, Kryszak Ł, Czyżewski B, Łopatka A. Environment and political economics: Left-wing liberalism or conservative leftism - Which is better for eco-efficiency? Evidence from Poland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 743:140779. [PMID: 32673923 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The American literature on political ecology suggests that there is a significant link between the rule of a given political party (Republicans or Democrats) on both national and local level and the environmental policy pursued. When the latter party is in power, environmental budget is larger and local governments are more likely to adopt environmentally sustainable policies. However, the political context of European countries is usually much more complex, as there exist different hybrids of economic views and core social values which so far have gathered a little attention with regard to its impact on eco-efficiency. There is a need to analyse which types of political beliefs are correlated with higher level of environmental performance. Hence, the main goal of this paper is to estimate the impact of long-term political preferences on the eco-efficiency levels of Polish country districts. Eco-efficiency was calculated as a ratio of economic development and environmental pressure in four dimensions: soil pollution, water pollution, air pollution, and bio-uniformity. Double bootstrapped truncated regression was used to capture the effects of the political views proxied by electoral decisions and individual willingness to adopt agri-environmental schemes. The analysis was complemented with spatial autoregressive modelling. The most important finding was that local authorities from large parties are more eco-efficient than local committees. Simultaneously, left-wing (but market liberal) views were correlated with higher eco-efficiency levels in relation to other political options. Higher share of councillors with university degrees and subsidies under common agricultural policy were further positive determinants of eco-efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Matuszczak
- Poznań University of Economics and Business, Department of Macroeconomics and Agricultural Economics, al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Łukasz Kryszak
- Poznań University of Economics and Business, Department of Macroeconomics and Agricultural Economics, al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Bazyli Czyżewski
- Poznań University of Economics and Business, Department of Macroeconomics and Agricultural Economics, al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Artur Łopatka
- Department of Soil Science and Land Protection, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation-State Research Institute, ul. Czartoryskich 8, 24-100 Puławy, Poland.
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Dillon L, Sellers C, Underhill V, Shapiro N, Ohayon JL, Sullivan M, Brown P, Harrison J, Wylie S. The Environmental Protection Agency in the Early Trump Administration: Prelude to Regulatory Capture. Am J Public Health 2019; 108:S89-S94. [PMID: 29698086 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2018.304360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
We explore and contextualize changes at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the first 6 months of the Trump administration, arguing that its pro-business direction is enabling a form of regulatory capture. We draw on news articles, public documents, and a rapid response, multisited interview study of current and retired EPA employees to (1) document changes associated with the new administration, (2) contextualize and compare the current pro-business makeover with previous ones, and (3) publicly convey findings in a timely manner. The lengthy, combined experience of interviewees with previous Republican and Democratic administrations made them valuable analysts for assessing recent shifts at the Scott Pruitt-led EPA and the extent to which these shifts steer the EPA away from its stated mission to "protect human and environmental health." Considering the extent of its pro-business leanings in the absence of mitigating power from the legislative branch, we conclude that its regulatory capture has become likely-more so than at similar moments in the agency's 47-year history. The public and environmental health consequences of regulatory capture of the EPA will probably be severe and far-reaching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Dillon
- Lindsey Dillon is with the Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Christopher Sellers is with the Center for the Study of Inequalities, Social Justice, and Policy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Vivian Underhill is with the Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Jennifer Liss Ohayon is with the Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA. Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Phil Brown and Sara Wylie are with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jill Harrison is with the Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
| | - Christopher Sellers
- Lindsey Dillon is with the Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Christopher Sellers is with the Center for the Study of Inequalities, Social Justice, and Policy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Vivian Underhill is with the Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Jennifer Liss Ohayon is with the Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA. Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Phil Brown and Sara Wylie are with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jill Harrison is with the Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
| | - Vivian Underhill
- Lindsey Dillon is with the Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Christopher Sellers is with the Center for the Study of Inequalities, Social Justice, and Policy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Vivian Underhill is with the Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Jennifer Liss Ohayon is with the Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA. Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Phil Brown and Sara Wylie are with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jill Harrison is with the Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
| | - Nicholas Shapiro
- Lindsey Dillon is with the Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Christopher Sellers is with the Center for the Study of Inequalities, Social Justice, and Policy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Vivian Underhill is with the Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Jennifer Liss Ohayon is with the Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA. Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Phil Brown and Sara Wylie are with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jill Harrison is with the Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
| | - Jennifer Liss Ohayon
- Lindsey Dillon is with the Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Christopher Sellers is with the Center for the Study of Inequalities, Social Justice, and Policy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Vivian Underhill is with the Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Jennifer Liss Ohayon is with the Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA. Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Phil Brown and Sara Wylie are with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jill Harrison is with the Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
| | - Marianne Sullivan
- Lindsey Dillon is with the Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Christopher Sellers is with the Center for the Study of Inequalities, Social Justice, and Policy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Vivian Underhill is with the Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Jennifer Liss Ohayon is with the Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA. Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Phil Brown and Sara Wylie are with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jill Harrison is with the Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
| | - Phil Brown
- Lindsey Dillon is with the Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Christopher Sellers is with the Center for the Study of Inequalities, Social Justice, and Policy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Vivian Underhill is with the Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Jennifer Liss Ohayon is with the Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA. Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Phil Brown and Sara Wylie are with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jill Harrison is with the Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
| | - Jill Harrison
- Lindsey Dillon is with the Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Christopher Sellers is with the Center for the Study of Inequalities, Social Justice, and Policy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Vivian Underhill is with the Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Jennifer Liss Ohayon is with the Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA. Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Phil Brown and Sara Wylie are with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jill Harrison is with the Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
| | - Sara Wylie
- Lindsey Dillon is with the Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Christopher Sellers is with the Center for the Study of Inequalities, Social Justice, and Policy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Vivian Underhill is with the Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Jennifer Liss Ohayon is with the Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA. Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Phil Brown and Sara Wylie are with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jill Harrison is with the Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
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- Lindsey Dillon is with the Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Christopher Sellers is with the Center for the Study of Inequalities, Social Justice, and Policy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Vivian Underhill is with the Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Jennifer Liss Ohayon is with the Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA. Marianne Sullivan is with the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ. Phil Brown and Sara Wylie are with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jill Harrison is with the Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
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