ORCID
0009-0001-1207-9989
Date of Award
Summer 2026
Language
English
Embargo Period
7-6-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College/School/Department
Department of Public Administration and Policy
Program
Public Administration and Policy
First Advisor
Jennifer Dodge
Committee Members
Luis F. Luna-Reyes, Jeongyoon Lee, Mikhail Ivonchyk
Keywords
Discourse network, hydraulic fracturing, environmental policy, policy process, discourse coalition
Subject Categories
Environmental Policy | Public Administration | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Policy
Abstract
Beneath the policy debates of many environmental controversies lies a dynamic network of actors making claims, forming coalitions, and contesting policy discourses. Drawing on theories of discourse coalitions, discourse networks, network brokerage, and public finance, and using the Delaware River Basin hydraulic fracturing debate as a case study, this dissertation examines how discourse coalitions evolve, how discourse brokers shape coalition dynamics, and whether resulting policy decisions produce meaningful fiscal consequences. The first paper investigates how discourse coalitions shifted across three periods of the Delaware River Basin fracking debate, using a mix of methods integrating discourse network analysis, computational text analysis, and qualitative analysis. The second paper develops the concept of the discourse broker, showing that brokerage is both a structural network position and a strategic behavioral role based on language. The third essay examines the fiscal consequences of the fracking moratorium and Pennsylvania's Act 13 impact fee collected from fracking, finding that while drilling activity generates additional revenues, these revenues do not translate into broader fiscal health.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Noh, In Hae, "Discord Is Still a Chord: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Discourse Networks, Brokerage, and the Fiscal Consequences of Fracking Policy in the Delaware River Basin" (2026). Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present). 495.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/etd/495