Employers as Mediating Institutions for Public Policy: The Case of Commute Options Programs

Abstract

Scholars have recently noted the role that employers can play as "mediating institutions" for public policy. Mediating institutions connect the private lives of individuals with public policy concerns by communicating societal norms to members and providing social contexts that encourage a commitment to these norms. Despite the potential importance of employers as mediating institutions for public policy, little scholarly attention has been devoted to employer mediation behavior. Accordingly, this study examines two research questions. What factors influence an employer's willingness to mediate policy problems? And how effective are employers as mediating institutions? The mediation behaviors of interest relate to employer efforts to mitigate traffic congestion and air quality problems by enabling employee "commute options," which are alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle commuting to work. Drawing on theories of organization behavior, the study hypothesizes that self-interest, organizational control, and association membership will affect willingness to provide commute options. The study also hypothesizes that employers providing commute options will have lower percentages of employees that drive to work alone. Both sets of hypotheses are supported by statistical analyses of data from a cross-sectional mail survey of metropolitan Atlanta organizations.

Employer perceptions of the business benefits of sustainable transport: A case study of peri-urban employment areas in South West England

“…Public authorities in many countries seek to involve employers in the task of encouraging more sustainable transport i . For commuting trips, employers are seen as effective mediating organisations which can help reduce single-occupancy car-use among their staff, with consequent benefits for individuals and society (DeHart-Davis and Guensler, 2005;Vanoutrive et al, 2012). Regulation compels employers in some regions/countries to implement workplace-based mobility management plans ii ; in the UK, for example, this is usually when employers seek planning permission for new premises (Enoch, 2012;Roby, 2010).…”

“…Regulation compels employers in some regions/countries to implement workplace-based mobility management plans ii ; in the UK, for example, this is usually when employers seek planning permission for new premises (Enoch, 2012;Roby, 2010). However, voluntary action by employers is seen as a desirable, and potentially more effective, long term approach (DeHart-Davis and Guensler, 2005;Enoch, 2012). DeHart-Davis and Guensler (2005) state that: "Given dwindling government resources and waning political will to impose direct control over individual behaviour, policy-makers may increasingly attempt to persuade employers to mediate society's most pressing and intractable problems, such as individual driving behaviour" (p694).…”

“…However, voluntary action by employers is seen as a desirable, and potentially more effective, long term approach (DeHart-Davis and Guensler, 2005;Enoch, 2012). DeHart-Davis and Guensler (2005) state that: "Given dwindling government resources and waning political will to impose direct control over individual behaviour, policy-makers may increasingly attempt to persuade employers to mediate society's most pressing and intractable problems, such as individual driving behaviour" (p694). As well as targeting commuter travel, employer engagement is seen as a means of supporting employers in increasing the use of sustainable transport options within their operational business activities, such as travel in the course of work (Sloman et al, 2010, p64).…”

Workplace travel plans: can they be evaluated effectively by experts?

“…As mentioned previously, transport policies regularly try to influence the modal choice of an employee using the employer as mediating actor (DeHart-Davis and Guensler 2005). In this section, we discuss some policies that are in place in Belgium.…”

Rail Commuting to Workplaces in Belgium: A Multilevel Approach

“…Moreover, transport plans are politically attractive since employers invest in mobility management measures, which serve government policies without a direct cost for the public budget. In addition, employers reach all employees with the same commuting destination, and a corporate culture can contribute to positive attitudes towards SOV alternatives (DeHart-Davis and Guensler, 2005). In a survey reported by Rye (1999a), employers indicated the promotion of public transport as an acceptable measure.…”