Impact of fukushima disaster on worldwide nuclear power

As Japan wrestled with the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the effects of the disaster resonated with mass-opposition to nuclear energy across the world. Most countries experienced a double-digit increase in pubic resistance to have developments in this form of energy and as a result there was massive wave of policy changes in some countries which reflected the preferences of the public on nuclear energy but some countries still plowed ahead with the technology. Aim of the Research On this study we seek to explore the appropriate methodologies that can be most suitable in gaining an understanding on the impact of disasters on world nuclear powers. As a result we shall incorporate both the quantitative and qualitative approaches in achieving the set objectives of the study.

Objectives of the Research We will seek to explore and understand how different research approaches can help us understand impact of nuclear disasters’ and as such the following areas will be highlighted: • The suitable techniques and methods of data collection and inquiry that are in association with studying the impact of Fukushima disaster in world energy policy. Observations propagated research on risk perception that the general public and experts usually have different grasps on risk. Various studies have been conducted to establish reasons why people hold contrasting perceptions of risk. Earlier work emphasized a rational approach to understanding how individuals weigh information before making a decision. But the rational approach has been rejected by numerous studies for the approach that additional information shifts perception.

Some levels of risk are societal acceptable based on the “preference approach”. It’s therefore essential to identify individuals who are suitable for the first information. In addition to this primary method of data collection, scientists and health workers can be used to offer significant information on the impact of such disasters on the general public. When such incidents occur, various tests and analysis are carried out to determine the extent of the effects on the human population and therefore the expertise of such professionals can give a good idea on the elements of the study. Communication through an interview between a government representative and a researcher will express information that will restore trust and it’s therefore evident that interviews solve a bigger perspective of a problem within the essential medium aspect.

Questionnaires. In the assessment of the influence and the challenges that arose as a result of the Fukushima disaster, more details can be collected from the UN agencies report on the situation, government press materials, and the media data films and coverage. According to Kumar (2014:189), there are already existing methods of data collection that provide information about a particular incident3 and most probably, the information available for secondary use is already collected and existing. The use of secondary data to collect information about a disaster is a practical approach in the collection of information as it saves time and resources. However, it may at times give the wrong impression on the occurrence of activities and as such there is need to understand the accuracy of the data collected.

Sampling Kumar (2014:229) defines sampling as the selection of a portion of the total population to represent the characteristics of that population4. The large-N methods can tell whether a hypothesis is valid but cannot show why it’s valid. A qualitative case-study is appropriate as the study tries to ascertain correlations between intervention motive and outcome. 5 The Mill’s “method of difference” approach can be used to overcome the weakness of the case study method which is fraught with the challenges of many variables and few cases. The focus of the study should be on cases that are similar across numerous factors, but differ along relative values of the main independent and dependent variables. Analysis Methods The most important decision in design research is formulating the research objective6.

From conducting the quantitative study, we can thus identify patterns in political processes across countries and regions, or even across the globe. While there is a tradeoff from the rich, thick description of qualitative investigation that can probe deeply into a question providing great depth, there is a value to consideration that cuts only to essential thresholds and questions through quantitative methods. The research’s goal is multifold as the quantitative approach builds upon existing research and by the use of data-driven insights, the project establishes equivalency between cases. It is worth noting that the quantitative factors are unable to account for the nuances of actual policy change, thus there is a need for a qualitative inquiry of the question of the study.

The research design of the qualitative study justifies the selection of case studies, and providing the framework of the methodological approach. It also allows for the identification of causal links between the variables of interest, and as such provides the opportunity to measure their presence and strength at each stage of the hypothesized process as Hall (2003) emphasizes, "process-tracing is a methodology well-suited to testing theories in a world marked by multiple interaction effects, where it is difficult to explain outcomes regarding two or three independent variables. " Since I analyze the interaction of different components of the political and industrial system, process-tracing will be helpful for this study as it necessitates explaining chains of events, rather than a single phenomenon. Process-tracing links us to the past, present and future9.

The basic idea behind the use of the Secondary Data Review is to present the initial primary quantitative and qualitative information. Qualitative data will review factors such as the impact of the crisis on the population decisions and feeling around the world, the incidences that took over on the explosion day and changes with time. In addition to introducing a new quantitative analysis method of the wide-scale factors at the country-level to understand nuclear policy, it provided a much-needed framework for explaining the different outcomes of antinuclear policy change, pronuclear policy change, and status quo continuance of policy in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima disaster. From conducting the quantitative study, we can thus identify patterns in political processes across countries and regions, or even across the globe.

While there is a tradeoff from the rich, thick description of qualitative investigation that can probe deeply into a question providing great depth, there is a value to consideration that cuts only to essential thresholds and questions through quantitative methods. Finally, in the analysis of the impact of the Fukushima disaster on world nuclear power, there is need to use the secondary data review model to collect information and re-evaluate the collected information through the use of the primary models of data collection. It will ensure the validity of the information and adequate information development. “Aligning ontology and methodology in comparative research,” in Comparative historical analysis in the social sciences by Mahoney, J. and D. Rueschemeyer (eds. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.