What a Bad Policy Idea! Exploring Views on Wind Farms in Italy

Asquer, Alberto

Abstract

This chapter aims to develop a framework for the analysis of arguments about what constitutes ‘bad policies’ during the policy-making stage. The framework provides a way to categorize bad policies, spanning from ideal policies to disastrous policies, based on their perceived effectiveness and desirability from the perspectives of both target groups and other stakeholder groups. This framework is applied to the analysis of the discourse about wind farms in Italy, using a Q Methodology study. Distinct perspectives emerge, ranging from endorsement of wind farms as a pathway to sustainable energy to concerns about their impact on local aesthetics, tourism, and biodiversity. A more nuanced understanding of the reasons for characterizing a policy option as a bad one is important to help policy makers and stakeholders participate in the policy discourse.

Citation

Asquer, A. (2025). What a Bad Policy Idea! Exploring Views on Wind Farms in Italy. In I. Roberge, H. McKeen-Edwards, & M. Campbell-Verduyn (Eds.), Ineffective Policy: Causes and Consequences of Bad Policy Choices (46-66). Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.51952/9781447371564.ch004

• Acceptance Date: May 29, 2024
• Publication Date: Apr 29, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jun 26, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 30, 2125
• Publisher: Bristol University Press
• Pages: 46-66
• Book Title: Ineffective Policy: Causes and Consequences of Bad Policy Choices
• Chapter Number: 4
• ISBN: 9781447371557
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.51952/9781447371564.ch004
• Keywords: Bad policies, policy-making, discourse analysis, Q methodology, wind farms