Sustainable Development, the Press and Policy: A Q Study of Brazilian Policy Makers

Abstract

A Q study asked 54 Brazilian scientists, administrators and journalists
to evaluate sustainable development definitions and concepts, the role
of national, local and international institutions in the Amazon's
development, specific public policies for the Amazon region and the role
of the news media. Four factors emerged and were labeled Locally
Oriented Idealists, Internationally Oriented Pragmatists, Regional
Architects and Conservative. The findings suggest that respondents place
the economic welfare of Amazonia's residents above all other
considerations. Cultural stability and the environment are seen as
integral components of regional planning, but public policy begins more
with serving human beings than nature. The respondents' interpretation
of sustainable development bears little resemblance to how it is
perceived within the literature. All four factors also assert that the
news media play a key role in public awareness of Amazonia's ecological
and economic challenges. The study suggests that Amazonia is a fertile
area to evaluate the delicate interactions among policy makers and
journalists as they face geopolitical, economic, environmental and
social policy issues and attempt to apply principles of sustainable
development.