EXPLAINING PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR
CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION POLICIES
– A CASE STUDY OF AUSTRALIA
A thesis submitted
in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Hieu Dinh Ha (Hà Đình Hiếu)
M.A. (Research) (Development Science, Hiroshima University)
B.Sc. (Environmental Science, Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Science)
School of Economics Finance and Marketing
College of Business
RMIT University
March, 2015
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DECLARATION
I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work is that of
the author alone; the work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to
qualify for any other academic award; the content of the thesis is the result of
work which has been carried out since the official commencement date of the
approved research program; any editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third
party is acknowledged; and, ethics procedures and guidelines have been followed.
…………………
Hieu Dinh Ha
Date: 18 March 2015
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This thesis marks a major milestone in my journey in the pursuit of knowledge.
During this adventure, I have been fortunate enough to have tremendous support and
encouragement. My gratitude first extends to my grandfather Ha Tai and my father
Ha Dinh Ty who have always believed in the power of education. They were the first
sparks, and have been the fuel lightning up my flame of hunger for knowledge.
This thesis would not have been possible without the support and guidance from my
principal supervisor Dr. Rajendra Mulye. My deepest gratitude extends to Dr. Mulye
for not only being a wholehearted academic mentor, but also for being one of my
dearest friends. I greatly appreciate valuable comments and suggestions that my co-
supervisor Professor Tim Fry has generously offered along my PhD candidature. I
would also like to thank Professor Pam Morrison and Professor John Roberts at the
Australian National University for the insights that inspired me to conduct this
project, and their generous support for data collection.
This thesis would also not have been possible without the financial and professional
support from the Australian Government’s Endeavour Post Graduate Scholarship for
my four years studying and living in this beautiful country. It is a great honour for
me to be a recipient of this precious scholarship. I also appreciate the great support I
have been offered by Ms. Prue Lamont, Ms. Esther Ng, and other professional
employees at RMIT University. I would like to thank Dr. Michelle Hall for her
assistance with proofreading this thesis.
“Life is still going while you are doing a PhD”, someone said. I indeed experienced
many ups and downs in the four years of my PhD candidature. I would not have been
able to overcome these difficult periods and get this project to completion without
my mother Dang Thi Phuong, and especially my wife Nguyen Pham Yen Mai. I owe
a debt of gratitude to these greatest of women’s unconditional love, care,
encouragement, and the sacrifices they made for me.
For many of you who are not named here, both human and nonhuman, thank you.
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RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Peer-reviewed Journal Articles
Hieu Dinh Ha & Rajendra Mulye 2015, ‘Explaining public support for climate
change mitigation policies – An analytical framework’, World Journal of
Management, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 201 – 222
Working Papers
Hieu Ha & Rajendra Mulye 2015, ‘The role of perceived policy effectiveness in
Australian climate change believers’ support for mitigation policy – A test of
mediating hypothesis’
Hieu Ha & Rajendra Mulye 2015, ‘Putting experts into lay people’s shoes –
What drives climate scientists to support climate change mitigation policies?’
Peer-reviewed Conference Papers
Hieu Ha & Rajendra Mulye 2014, ‘The Interaction Effect of Perceived Adverse
Impacts of Climate Change and Climate Change Mitigation Policy Effectiveness in
Explaining Public Support for the Policies – The Next Step from the ISMC 2014 ‘, in
Australia & New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference 2014, Queensland,
Australia.
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Hieu Ha & Rajendra Mulye 2014, ‘The Role of Perceived Policy Effectiveness
in Explaining Climate Change Mitigation Policy Support Behaviour‘, in
International Social Marketing Conference 2014, Melbourne, Australia.
Hieu Ha & Rajendra Mulye 2014, ‘Explaining the General Public Support for
Climate Change Mitigation Policy – An Analytical Framework’, in 9th International
Business and Social Science Research Conference, Dubai, UAE.
John Roberts, Hieu Ha, Pamela Morrison 2012, ‘Calibrating the Belief
Structures of Stakeholder Groups with Respect to Climate Change Policy’, in 2012
ISMS Marketing Science Conference, Boston, USA.
