Mapping Political Coalitions in the Public Debate on Small Modular Reactors in Argentina and Canada
Notice bibliographique
Résumé
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are being actively pursued globally as part of decarbonization strategies in response to threats from climate change. This dissertation examines how public debates about SMRs are structured and have evolved in Argentina and Canada, two SMR-developing countries with contrasting media systems and federal institutions. This dissertation addresses four questions: (1) who participates in these debates, and how do actors cluster into coalitions supporting or opposing SMRs; (2) which narratives are constructed to justify those positions, and how do they change across time, platforms, and countries; (3) how polarized the discursive arenas are, and which concepts generate the most division; and (4) how platform logics and transnational linkages (such as shared frames and the role of international organizations) shape coalition structures and narratives. Using discourse network analysis (DNA) of newspaper articles and posts on X (formerly Twitter), combined with in-depth case studies and cross-platform comparison, stakeholder coalitions, narrative frames, and polarization are mapped over the last decade (Argentina: 2010–2022; Canada: 2014–2023). Findings show: (a) a durable pro-SMR coalition in both countries that broadened over time from industry and sub-national governments to include federal agencies, international organizations, and foreign entities, increasing influence through strategic narratives and institutionalization; (b) opposition concentrated on nuclear waste management and economic viability, with relatively stable frames that nevertheless surged episodically; (c) clear platform effects, with X/Twitter hosting larger, more actor-diverse, and more polarized networks than newspapers, amplifying “progress” narratives (e.g., milestones, permitting, partnerships) and enabling broader dissent without dislodging dominant frames; (d) in Argentina, debate around CAREM-25 (Argentina’s domestically developed SMR) exhibited cross-partisan support anchored in techno-nationalist narratives of scientific capability and industrial policy, with “steady progress” signals helping consolidate consensus; and (e) in Canada, discourse shifted from early technical considerations to climate, feasibility, economic development, and international partnerships, as a pro-SMR coalition expanded and embedded its frames in policy venues, while persistent contention remained around waste and costs. Across cases, core ideas travel transnationally but differ in salience and coalition uptake across national contexts. The dissertation contributes substantively and methodologically. Substantively, it explains how coalition coherence and sustained narrative activity underpin discourse dominance across platforms, and it identifies the “smooth/steady progress” frame as a mechanism that secures support, mobilizes resources, and raises exit costs for opponents. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of combining DNA with cross-platform, cross-national comparison to track long-horizon policy debates using both social and traditional media text. Practically, the study highlights design levers for more inclusive energy-policy deliberation beyond industry–government dyads by bringing a wider range of actors into agenda-setting and by making narrative contestation more transparent. More broadly, the findings offer guidance for adaptive, evidence-informed governance of emerging energy technologies.
Récupéré en direct depuis OpenAlex et désinversé. Les résumés ne sont pas conservés dans cette base de données : les index inversés représentent 8,6 Go des 9,3 Go de texte de la base, et le serveur dispose de 13 Go libres.
Comment cette classification a été obtenuedéplier
Prédiction distillée sur la base complète
Imitation des enseignantsNi prévalence calibrée, ni vérité terrain. Validation humaine à venir. Apprise à partir de 10 348 étiquettes directes de Codex et de 10 348 étiquettes directes de Gemma. Le mode candidate est l'union des têtes enseignantes seuillées; le consensus est leur intersection. Ces sorties portent le statut machine_predicted_unvalidated et ne sont ni des étiquettes humaines ni des étiquettes directes de modèles de pointe.
Scores Codex et Gemma par catégorie
| Catégorie | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Métarecherche | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens strict) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens large) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Bibliométrie | 0,000 | 0,001 |
| Études des sciences et des technologies | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Communication savante | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Science ouverte | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Intégrité de la recherche | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Charge utile insuffisante (le modèle a refusé de juger) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
Scores machine (provisoires)
Les deux têtes enseignantes du modèle étudiant, lues sur ce travail. Un score ordonne la base pour la relecture; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie, et le statut de validation accompagne chaque rangée tel quel.
Scores de référence d'un modèle non mature (critères de maturité non atteints, 7 itérations). Un score ordonne; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · tel quel depuis la passe de notation : score_only signifie que le nombre peut ordonner les travaux, et qu'aucune étiquette de catégorie n'en découleClassification
machine, non validéePrédiction automatique; un appel candidat d’une seule tête enseignante, pas un consensus.
Le détail, modèle par modèle et score par score, se trouve en fin de page sous « Comment cette classification a été obtenue ».