School of Social and Political Science

Dr Claire Haggett

Job Title

Senior Lecturer

Photo
Claire Haggett

Room number

6.27

Building (Address)

Chrystal Macmillan Building

Street (Address)

15a George Square

City (Address)

Edinburgh

Country (Address)

UK

Post code (Address)

EH8 9LD

Research interests

Research themes

Research interests

Sustainability, Environmental Sociology, Community energy, Environment, Participation, renewable energy, energy politics, energy security, discourse analysis

  • Social responses to and acceptance of renewable energy: including on- and offshore wind farms, marine energy, hydrogen, and domestic micro-generation
  • Community energy participation, politics and planning
  • The social experience of noise from wind farms
  • Energy consumption and domestic practices, and responses to energy technology and energy efficiency advice
  • Governance, public participation, and planning, in relation to sustainable development
  • The construction and dissemination of environmental risks
  • The role of the media in framing environmental problems, solutions, and responsibility
  • Health and well being and the natural world: particularly ‘tranquillity’ in the landscape
  • Critical use of discourse analysis as a theory and method

Current PhD supervision

Ten students supervised to completion; current students:

  • Ragne Low: The role of publics in energy policy: The Scottish case
  • Jean Welstead (ESRC): EIA and social impact assessment for onshore renewables

Topics interested in supervising

I welcome enquiries about supervision of research on social responses to renewable energy developments (particularly wind farms, wave power, and solar). I am also interested to supervise work from a discourse analytic perspective (from discursive psychology) on a range of topics, but particularly energy, climate change, sustainability, and the media.

If you are interested in being supervised by Claire Haggett, please see the link below for more information:

Background

Qualifications

  • PhD in Sociology, University of Surrey
  • MSc in Social Research and the Environment
  • BSc (Hons) Sociology

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 Senior PT and Exams Convenor for the MA in Sustainable Development, an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree.

 

Publications

Books:

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

Peer-reviewed journal articles:

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:

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

Works within

Staff Hours and Guidance

Please email me in the first instance with any queries or to request a meeting  - I am always very happy to see students. Please note that I work part time (60%).

Publications by user content

Publication Research Explorer link
Haggett C, Brink TT, Russell A, Roach M, Firestone J, Dalton T et al. Offshore wind projects and fisheries: Conflict and engagement in the United Kingdom and the United States. Oceanography. 2020 Dec 15;33(4):38-47. Epub 2020 Dec 15. doi: 10.5670/oceanog.2020.404
Krug-firstbrook M, Haggett C, Van Veelen B. Consumer (co-)ownership in renewables in Scotland (UK). In Lowitzsch J, editor, Energy Transition: Financing Consumer Co-Ownership in Renewables. Springer. 2019. p. 395-419 doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-93518-8_18
Creamer E, Allen S, Haggett C. Incomers’ leading ‘community-led’ low carbon initiatives: a contradiction in terms? Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space. 2018 Oct 4. doi: 10.1177/0263774X18802476
Rudolph D, Haggett C, Quiroz-Aitken M. Community benefits from offshore renewables: The relationship between different understandings of impact, community, and benefit. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space. 2018 Feb 1;36(1):92-117. Epub 2017 Mar 22. doi: 10.1177/2399654417699206
van Veelen B, Haggett C. Uncommon ground: The role of different place attachments in explaining community renewable energy projects. Sociologia Ruralis. 2017 Dec 30;57:533-554. Epub 2016 Apr 7. doi: 10.1111/soru.12128
Quiroz-Aitken M, Haggett C, Rudolph D. Practices and rationales of community engagement with wind farms: Awareness raising, consultation, empowerment. Planning Theory & Practice. 2016 Sept 1;17(4):557-576. doi: 10.1080/14649357.2016.1218919
Yang AL, Rounsevell MDA, Haggett C. Multilevel Governance, Decentralization and Environmental Prioritization: How is it working in rural development policy in Scotland? Multilevel Governance and Rural Development Policy. Environmental Policy and Governance. 2015 Nov 1;25(6):399-411. doi: 10.1002/eet.1690
Soma K, Haggett C. Enhancing social acceptance in marine governance in Europe. Ocean & Coastal Management. 2015 Nov;117:61–69. Epub 2015 Nov 11. doi: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.11.001
Yang AL, Rounsevell MDA, Haggett C, Wilson RM. Recentralisation through regionalisation in the implementation of Rural Development Policy in Scotland. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 2015 Sept 2;58(9):1666-1689. doi: 10.1080/09640568.2014.942726
Haggett C, Quiroz-Aitken M. Grassroots Energy Innovations: the Role of Community Ownership and Investment. Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports. 2015 Sept;2(3):98-104. Epub 2015 Jul 23. doi: 10.1007/s40518-015-0035-8
Yang A, Rounsevell M, Haggett C, Piorr A, Wilson R. The Use of Spatial Econometrics, Stakeholder Analysis and Qualitative Methodologies in The Evaluation of Rural Development Policy. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 2015 Jun 1;17(02):1550023. doi: 10.1142/S1464333215500234
Quiroz-Aitken M, Haggett C, Rudolph D. Community benefits from offshore renewables: good practice review. ClimateXChange, 2015.
Quiroz-Aitken M, Haggett C, Markantoni M, Rudolph D, Harnmeijer J, van Veelen B. Supporting Community Investment in Commercial Renewable Energy Schemes. ClimateXChange, 2014.
Yang AL, Rounsevell MDA, Wilson RM, Haggett C. Spatial analysis of agri-environmental policy uptake and expenditure in Scotland. Journal of Environmental Management. 2014 Jan 15;133:104-115. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.11.038
Quiroz-Aitken M, Haggett C, Rudolph D. Wind Farms Community Engagement Good Practice Review. ClimateXChange, 2014.
Haggett C, Creamer E, Harnmeijer J, Parsons M, Bomberg E. Community Energy in Scotland: the Social Factors for Success. Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, 2013. 25 p.
Bell D, Gray T, Haggett C, Swaffield J. Re-visiting the 'Social Gap': Public Opinion and Relations of Power in the Local Politics of Wind Energy. Environmental Politics. 2013;22(1):115-135. Epub 2013 Feb 13. doi: 10.1080/09644016.2013.755793
Haggett C. The Social Experience of Noise from Wind Farms. In Szarka J, Cowell R, Ellis G, Strachan PA, Warren C, editors, Learning from Wind Power: Governance, Societal and Policy Perspectives on Sustainable Energy. Palgrave Macmillan. 2012. p. 153-173
O'Keeffe A, Haggett C. An Investigation into the Potential Barriers Facing the Development of Offshore Wind Energy in Scotland: Case Study - Firth of Forth Offshore Wind Farm. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2012;16(6):3711-3721. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2012.03.018
Haggett C. Understanding Public Responses to Offshore Wind Power. Energy Policy. 2011 Feb;39(2):503-510. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2010.10.014
Haggett C, Futak-Campbell B. Tilting at Windmills? Using Discourse Analysis to Understand the Attitude-Behaviour Gap in Renewable Energy Conflicts. Mekhanizm Rehuluvannya Economiky. 2011;1(51):207-220.
Haggett C. A Call for Clarity and a Review of the Empirical Evidence: Comment on Felman and Turner's 'Why not NIMBY?'. Ethics, Place and Environment. 2010;13(3):313-316. doi: 10.1080/1366879X.2010.528625
Haggett C. 'Planning and Persuasion': Public engagement in renewable energy decision-making . In Devine-Wright P, editor, Renewable Energy and the Public: From NIMBY to Participation. London: Earthscan. 2010. p. 15-28
Abi-Ghanem D, Haggett C. Shaping People’s Engagement with Microgeneration Technology: The Case of Solar Photovoltaics in UK Homes. In Devine-Wright P, editor, Renewable Energy and the Public: From NIMBY to Participation. London: Earthscan. 2010. p. 149-166
Haggett C. Public Opposition to Renewable Energy. In Routledge Handbook of Climate Change and Society. London: Routledge. 2010. p. 332-340. (Routledge International Handbooks).
Haggett C. Risk and Responsibility at 30,000 Feet: Who is to Blame for ‘Economy Class Syndrome’? Eä – Journal of Medical Humanities & Social Studies of Science and Technology. 2010;1(3):1-26.
Haggett C. Public Engagement in Planning for Renewable Energy. In Davoudi S, Crawford J, Mehmood A, editors, Planning for Climate Change: Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation for Spatial Planners. Routledge. 2009. p. 297-307
Haggett C. Over the Sea and Far Away? A Consideration of the Planning, Politics and Public Perception of Offshore Wind Farms. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning. 2008;10(3):289-306. doi: 10.1080/15239080802242787
Claire Haggett's Research Explorer profile