School of Social and Political Science

Background

Teaching interests

I currently teach the sociology of sustainability, focusing on the social construction of the environment and landscape value and quality; responses to energy generation and use of energy in the home; and the role of the media in shaping information about the environment. I also teach a range of qualitative research methods.

I am Academic Advisor, Cohort Lead, and Exams Convenor for the MA in Sustainable Development, an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree.

I was honoured beyond words to win the EUSA Teaching Award for 'Cohort Lead of the Year' in 2024.

University of Edinburgh ‘Teaching Matters’ blog, on ‘The importance of academic relationships’ https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters/category/author/claire-haggett/

Publications

Books:

Haggett, C. (2010) Discourses of Risk: Responsibility and the Construction of Blame, Berlin: Lambert

Peer-reviewed journal articles:

Boudet, H., Hazboun, S., Haggett, C., and Batel, S. (forthcoming) Going slow to go fast: Understanding social responses to renewable energy’, Nature Reviews – Clean Technology

Haggett, C., T. ten Brink, A. Russell, M. Roach, J. Firestone, T. Dalton, and B.J. McCay (2020) ‘Offshore wind projects and fisheries: Conflict and engagement in the United Kingdom and the United States’. Oceanography 33(4):38-47, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2020.404

Creamer, E., Allen, S., and Haggett, C. (2018) 'Incomers' leading 'community-led' sustainability initiatives: A contradiction in terms? Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space https://doi.org/10.1177/0263774X18802476

Rudolph, D., Haggett, C., and Aitken, M. (2017) 'Community benefits from offshore renewables: The relationship between different understandings of impact, community, and benefit', Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 36(1): 92-117 10.1177/2399654417699206

Van Veelen, B., and Haggett, C. (2016) 'Uncommon ground: The role of different place attachments in explaining community renewable energy projects', Sociologia Ruralis, 57(S1): 533-554

Aitken, M., Haggett, C., and Rudolph, D. (2016) 'Practices and rationales of community engagement with wind farms: awareness raising, consultation, empowerment', Planning Theory and Practice, 17, 4: 557-576

Haggett, C., and Aitken, M. (2015) 'Grassroots Energy Innovations: the Role of Community Ownership and Investment, Current Sustainable Renewable Energy Reports 2:98–104

Soma, K., and Haggett, C. (2015) 'Enhancing social acceptance in marine governance in Europe', Ocean and Coastal Management, 117: 61-69

Yang, A.L., Rounsevell, M.D.A., Haggett, C. (2015) Multilevel governance, decentralisation, and environmental prioritisation: how is it working in rural development policy in Scotland? Journal of Environmental Policy and Governance, 25, 6, pp 399-411

Yang, A.L., Rounsevell, M.D.A., Piorr, A., Haggett, C. Wilson, R.M. (2015) The use of spatial econometrics, stakeholder analysis and qualitative methodologies in the evaluation of rural development policy, Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, Volume 17, Issue 02, https://doi.org/10.1142/S1464333215500234

Yang, A.L., Rounsevell, M.D.A., Haggett, C.,Wilson, R. (2014) ‘Recentralisation through regionalisation in the implementation of Rural Development Policy in Scotland’, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2014.942726

Yang, A.L., Rounsevell, M.D.A., Wilson, R., Haggett, C. (2014) 'Spatial Analysis of Agri Environmental Policy Uptake and Expenditure in Scotland', Journal of Environmental Management, 133c: 104-115.

Bell. D., Haggett, C., Gray, T., and Swaffield, J. (2013) 'Revisiting the social gap: public opinions and relations of power in the local politics of wind energy' Environmental Politics, 22, 1: 115-135.

O'Keeffe, A., and Haggett, C. (2012) 'An investigation into the potential barriers facing the development of offshore wind energy in Scotland: case study of the Firth of Forth wind farm', Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16, 65: 3711-3721.

Haggett, C. and Futak-Campbell, B. (2011) 'Using discourse analysis to understand the attitude-behaviour gap in renewable energy conflicts', Journal of Mechanisms of Economic Regulation, 1, 2: 207-220.

Haggett, C. (2010) ‘Risk and responsibility at 30,000 feet: who is to blame for ‘economy class syndrome’? Journal of Social Studies of Science and Technology, 1, 3: 1-26.

Haggett, C. (2010) ‘Why not Nimby? A response, reviewing the empirical evidence’, Ethics, Place, and Environment, 13, 3: 313-316.

Haggett, C. (2010) ‘Public perceptions of offshore wind energy’ Energy Policy, 39, 2:503-510.

Haggett, C. (2008) ‘Over the sea and far away? A consideration of the planning, politics, and public perceptions of offshore wind farms’, Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 10, 3, 289 - 306.

Haggett, C., and Toke, D. (2006) ‘Crossing the great divide: Using multi-method analysis to understand opposition to wind farms’, Public Administration 84, 1, 103-120.

Bell, D., Gray, T., and Haggett, C. (2005) ‘Policy, participation and the ‘social gap’ in wind farm siting decisions’, Environmental Politics 14, 4, 460-477.

Gray, T., Haggett, C., and Bell, D. (2005) ‘Wind farm Siting – the Case of Offshore Wind farms’, Ethics, Place and Environment 8, 2, 127-140.

Book Chapters:

Haggett, C. (2021) ‘Social acceptance and interdisciplinarity: Understanding the constructive power of terminology’ Chapter 7 in S. Batel and D. Rudolph (eds) A critical approach to the social acceptance of renewable energy infrastructures: Going beyond green growth and sustainability, Palgrave, pp 120-137

Stuiver, M., van den Burg, S., Chen, W., Haggett, C., Rudolph, D., and Koundouri, P. (2020) ‘Stakeholder Involvement in Technological Design, Chapter 2 in Koundouri, P. (ed) The Oceans of Tomorrow: The Transition to Sustainability (volume 2) pages 25-37

Chen, W., Koundouri, P., González Dávila, O., Haggett, C., Rudolph, D., Lu, S.-Y.; Chi, C.-F.; Golmen, L.; and Ying, F. (2020) Social Acceptance and Socio-economic Effects of Multi-use Offshore Developments: Theory and Applications, Chapter 4 in Koundouri, P. (ed) The Oceans of Tomorrow: The Transition to Sustainability (volume 2) pages 61-82.

Krug-Firstbrook, M., Haggett, C., and van Veelen, B. (2019) ‘Consumer (Co-)Ownership in Renewables in Scotland’, chapter 18 in Lowitzsch, J. (ed) Energy Transition - Financing Consumer Co-Ownership in Renewables, Palgrave/McMillan book, pp395-420

Haggett, C., Coleman, R., and Hodges, J. (2015) 'Environment, Imagination and Aesthetics: a new environmental impact assessment for natural Scotland' in Griffith, D. (ed) Imagining Natural Scotland, published by Creative Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage

Haggett, C., Coleman, R., and Hodges, J. (2015) 'People, place and community: the missing chapter', Project report published by Creative Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage; available here: https://www.creativecarbonscotland.com/library/a-new-environmental-impa…

Haggett, C. (2011) ‘Understanding people’s experience of noise from wind farms’, invited chapter in Cowell, R., Strachan, P. and Warren, C. (eds) Wind Power, Governance and Society: Lessons for Future Sustainable Energy, Basingstoke: Palgrave

Haggett. C. (2010) The principles, procedures, and pitfalls of public engagement in decision-making about renewable energy' in P. Devine-Wright (ed.) Renewable Energy and the Public, London: Earthscan

Abi-Ghanem, D. and Haggett, C. (2010) Shaping people’s engagement with microgeneration technology: the case of solar photovoltaics in UK homes, in P. Devine-Wright (ed.) Renewable Energy and the Public, London:Earthscan

Haggett, C. (2009) ‘Implications of alternative mitigation responses: renewable energy’, chapter 26 in Handbook of Climate Change and Society, London: Routledge

Haggett, C. (2009) ‘Public engagement in planning for renewable energy’, in S. Davoudi and J. Crawford (eds.) Planning for Climate Change: Strategies for mitigation and adaptation for spatial planners, London: Earthscan.

Haggett, C., Fuller, D., and Dunsford, H. (2008) ‘Tranquillity as an indicator of landscape quality’ chapter in J. Nogue (ed.) Landscape Indicators, Challenges and Perspectives Landscape Observatory of Catalonia and the Foundation for the Study of Landscape

Fuller, D., Haggett, C. And Dunsford, H. (2008) ‘Landscape and health – tranquillity matters’, in J. NoguÉ (ed.) Reflections on Landscape and Health, Landscape Observatory of Catalonia and Department of Health.

Haggett, C. (2006) ‘Science and the measurement of risk’ in G. Ritzer (ed.) The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Sociology, Oxford: Blackwell

Practitioner Publications:

Contributions to two United Nations Global Compact briefing documents: 

United Nations Global Compact (2023) Enabling Data and Knowledge Sharing in the Marine Space: The Role of Offshore Renewable Energy, UNGC Ocean Stewardship Coalition New York (available here)

United Nations Global Compact (2023) Net-Positive Biodiversity in Offshore Renewable Energy: Minimum Criteria And Recommendations for Action, UNGC Ocean Stewardship Coalition New York (available here)

Haggett, C. (2010) ‘The nuclear lobby hiding in anti-wind clothing (again): opportunity missed for balanced debate’ in The Scottish Mountaineer, Issue 43, May 2010

Macfarlane, R., Haggett, C., and Fuller, D. (2005) Tranquillity Mapping: Developing a Robust Methodology for Planning Support, Report by Northumbria and Newcastle Universities for CPRE and the Countryside Agency, available from http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/tranquillity

Haggett, C. (2005) ‘Understanding public responses to renewable energy’ UK Power magazine, July edition

Haggett, C., and. Vigar, G. (2004a) ‘Tilting at windmills? Understanding opposition to windfarm applications’ Town and Country Planning, 73 (10) pp288-291

Haggett, C. (2004b) ‘Titling at windmills?’ in Elements, Publication of the Environment Council, Issue 23 06/2004

Project reports

I have recently led/co-led a series of interdisciplinary research projects commissioned through ClimateXChange (http://climatexchange.org.uk/) for the Scottish Government, on community energy; planning and public engagement for wind farms; and community benefits from offshore renewables:

Rudolph, D., Haggett, C., and Aitken, M. (2015) Community Benefits From Offshore Renewables: Good Practice Review, Research commissioned for ClimateXChange for the Scottish Government, available: http://www.climatexchange.org.uk/reducing-emissions/community-benefits-offshore-renewables-good-practice-review/

Haggett, C., Aitken, M., Rudolph, D., van Veelen, B., Harnmeijer, J., and Markantoni, M. (2014) Supporting Community Investment in Commercial Renewable Energy Schemes, Research commissioned for ClimateXChange for the Scottish Government, available: http://www.climatexchange.org.uk/reducing-emissions/supporting-community-investment-commercial-energy-schemes/

Aitken, M., Haggett, C., Rudolph, D. (2014) What is Good Community Engagement For Wind Farm Developments? Wind Farms Community Engagement Good Practice Review, Research commissioned for ClimateXChange for the Scottish Government, available: http://www.climatexchange.org.uk/reducing-emissions/what-good-community-engagement-wind-farm-developments/

Haggett, C., Creamer, E., Harnmeijer, J., Parsons, M., Bomberg, E. (2013) Community Energy in Scotland: the Social Factors for Success, Research commissioned for ClimateXChange for the Scottish Government, available:http://www.climatexchange.org.uk/reducing-emissions/community-energy-scotland-social-factors-success/

Briefing papers:

Howell, R., and Haggett, C. (2014) ‘An overview of social impact assessment: Working paper to inform Marine Scotland Work on social impacts’ School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, available here