2009 Volume 9 Issue 2 Pages 2_1-2_16
This study proposes a methodology for assessing social capacity for environmental management (SCEM) which contributes to urban air quality improvement by identifying the actors and factors constituting the social capacity explicitly. To do so, a confirmatory factor analysis and a structural equation model are applied to estimate the effects of social actors (i.e., government, firms, and citizens) and factors (i.e., policies & measures, resource management,and knowledge & technology) on urban air quality management in 2 major cities (i.e., Osaka, Kitakyushu) in Japan. Using a panel data set for years between 1971 and 2000, a new evaluation method for capacity development is proposed called a “Actor-Factor Matrix evaluation” by using the results obtained in the analyses. Our results also show the difference of structure in SCEM and contribution to urban air quality by each city.
