research interests
Tim's primary research program focuses on how social networks help or hinder cities in adapting to climate change. His thesis, Communities in Crisis: How Cities Adapt to Climate Change in the US and Japan, compares how some policy toolkits revitalize social networks to enable renewable energy adoption, disaster evacuation and disaster recovery. For this research, Tim surveyed or interviewed city officials in more than 100 cities across Japan and created several new datasets on renewable energy. Minor areas of research include the COVID-19 pandemic, nuclear energy policy, and social network analysis methods.
see more at Research portal
Previous work
Before enrolling in the PhD program, he researched Japanese energy policy on a 2016 Fulbright Fellowship at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan. Researching in Andrew Chapman's lab at the International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research, he looked at why some cities benefit from the introduction of renewable energy sources more than others.
Biography
Timothy received his BA in International and Global Studies from Middlebury College in Vermont and his MA in Political Science from Northeastern University. He spent five years of Japanese language training and nearly two years in the field interviewing Japanese citizens, activists, and policymakers about controversial energy projects in their community. In his free time, he enjoys data visualization, foreign languages, and exploring the great outdoors in Massachusetts.
Publications
Fraser, T. (2020). Does Social Capital enhance or preclude renewable energy siting? South Africa's solar policy compared. Energy Research & Social Sciences (accepted).
Fraser, T., Cunningham, L., Bancroft, M., Hunt, A., Lee, E., Nasongo, A. (2020). “Climate Crisis at City Hall: How Japanese Communities Are Mobilizing to Eliminate Emissions.” Environmental Innovations and Societal Transitions 37, 361-380.
Fraser, T., Aldrich, DP (2020). “The Fukushima Effect at Home: The Changing Role of Domestic Actors in Japanese Energy Policy.” WIREs Climate Change 11, e655.
Fraser, T., Cunningham, L., Nasongo, A. (2020). “Make back better? The Impact of the Crisis on Climate Change Adaptation in Japan and the USA.” Global Environmental Policy (accepted).
Fraser, T., Aldrich, DP, Small, A., Littlejohn, A. (2020). “In the Hands of the Few: Disaster Recovery Committee Networks.” Journal of Environmental Management (accepted).
Fraser, T. Chapman, AJ (2020). “The Drivers of Social Equity in Municipal-Level Renewable Energy: The Case of Local Japanese Energy Policy and Preferences.” Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning 22(3), 397-412.
Fraser, T. (2020). “Japan's Resilient, Renewable Cities: How Socioeconomics and Local Politics Are Driving Japan's Renewable Energy Transition.” Environmental Politics 29(3), 500-523.
Fraser, T. (2019). “How Governance and Disasters Shape Renewable Energy Transitions: The Case of Japanese Mega-Solar”. Social Science Quarterly 100(3), 975-990.
Chapman, AJ, Fraser, T., Dennis, M. (2019). “Exploring Links Between Energy Policy and Social Equity Research: A Citation Network Analysis.” Social Sciences 8(5), 135.
Fraser, T., Aldrich, DP (2019). “East Asian Nuclear Policies: Fukushima Effect or Nuclear Renaissance?” Georgetown Journal of Asian Affairs.
Lee, J., Fraser, T. (2019). “How do disasters affect the social ties of individuals? The Effects of Disaster Experiences and Perceived Disaster Risks on Membership in Voluntary Associations'. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 34, 108-115.
Chapman, AJ, Fraser, T. (2019). “Japan's Mega Solar Boom: Quantifying Social Equity Expectations and Realities at the Local Scale.” Sustainability Science 14, 355–374.
Fraser, T., Chapman, A. (2018). “Social Equity Implications in Japan's Mega Solar Siting Process.” Energy for Sustainable Development 42, 136-151.
Aldrich, DP, Fraser, T. (2017). “All Politics is Local: The Role of Judicial and Electoral Institutions in Japan's Nuclear Restarts.” Pacific Affairs 90(3), 433-457.
Chapman, AJ, Fraser, T., Itaoka, K. (2017). “A Hydrogen Import Pathway Comparison Framework Integrating Cost and Social Preference: Case Studies from Australia to Japan.” International Journal of Energy Research 41(14), 2374-2391.
Articles under consideration
Fraser, T. “The Road More Traveled: Evacuation Networks from 10 Disasters in the US and Japan.”
Fraser, T. “Japanese Social Capital and Social Vulnerability Indices: Measuring Drivers of Community Resilience 2000-2017.”
Fraser, T., Aldrich, DP “The dual effect of social ties on the spread of COVID-19 in Japan”.
Fraser, T., Aldrich, DP, Page-Tan, C. 'Bowling Alone or Masking Together? The role of social capital in excess death rates from COVID19″.
Fraser, T., Aldrich, DP, Small, A. “Connecting Social Capital and Vulnerability: A Citation Network Analysis of Disaster Studies.”
Fraser, T., Aldrich, DP, Morikawa, L. “Do All Roads Lead to Sapporo? The Role of Bonding and Bridging Ties in Evacuation Decisions'.
Other Selected Publications
Fraser, T., Page-Tan, C. Aldrich, DP Forthcoming. “Social Network Analysis for Disasters.” In Jason Rivera, ed Disaster and Emergency Management Research Methods: Social Science Approaches in Implementation.
Fraser, T., Chapman, AJ (2020). “Social Sustainability in Cities: Urban Energy”. In Alvarez-Risco, A., Rosen, M., Del-Aguila-Arcentales, S, & Marinova, D. Building Sustainable Cities: Social, Economic and Environmental Factors, Springer-Nature.
Aldrich, DP, Page-Tan, C., Fraser, T. (2018). “A Resource Facing Janus: Exchange of Social Capital and Resilience.” International Risk Governance Council Resource Guide, volume 2, pp. 1-8.
Research interests: Environmental Policy, Disaster Recovery, Japanese Politics, Civil Society
Contact info:
960A Renaissance Park
fraser.ti@northeastern.edu
https://www.timothyfraser.com
Curriculum vitae
