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Article
Peer-Review Record

Which Local Jurisdictions Are Environmental Policy Entrepreneurs? Insights from Israel

Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4576; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114576
by Yonat Rein-Sapir * and Eran Feitelson
Reviewer 2: Anonymous
Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4576; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114576
Submission received: 10 April 2024 / Revised: 23 May 2024 / Accepted: 26 May 2024 / Published: 28 May 2024

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for sending you to this article for comment. It is very good, and its subject matter is very interesting.

The article explores the role played by local jurisdictions in Israel in the promotion and development of Local Environmental Policy Initiatives (LEIs), highlighting the significant contribution of local governments to the adoption of sustainable practices. Through the application of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, this research reveals that, while it is common for larger and more economically stable jurisdictions to have a higher number of LEPIs, a pro-environmental trend has also been identified even among smaller and less influential authorities. This pattern underlines a predisposition towards sustainability that transcends barriers of economic and administrative capacity.

improvements to the article, in my opinion, would be;

1,. In the methods section, I would explain in outline the two stages of the research process, with their milestones and scope.

In the part of the discussion, I would draw a parallel between metropolises and smaller local governments, and on what basis this distinction is made.

3.- In the conclusions, I would place a summary of the main limitations, in a more exhaustive way than in the paragraph that started in line 495.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your revision. 

Please see the attachment.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper investigates local jurisdictions regarding their environmental policy in Israel. The authors apply quantitative and qualitative methods. The presentation of the methods and results should be improved.

 

Page 4, section Methods: In the beginning the questions of the questionnaire should be given. The questions should be based on hypotheses. These should be related to the literature survey.

 

Page 4, line 170: How are the 29 authorities be selected? (random or to fulfil some quotes to be presentative?) What are the important questions of the in-depth interviews. Do you use a questionnaire for the interviews? How do you document the answers? Can a reader get the answers?

 

Page 5, line 207: When did you start the online survey? When did you end the online survey?

What are the response categories?

 

Page 5, line 215: The description of the logistic regression is too brief. What is the endogenous variable? What are the explanatory variables?

 

Page 5, line 224: Please present the semi-structure at least upon request. The description in the lines 231 to 233 is too brief. Please document the length of the interviews.

 

Page 5 lines 242 to 246: The description of the use of the answers is too brief. How do you categorize the answers? How do you generate the main message of the responses?

 

Page 6, Table 1: How do you decide to put a LEPI for the characteristic financial stability into the response category weak, middle or strong? Have all interviewed entities the same understanding about these categories?

 

Page 7, Table 2: The formal model should be given in advance.

 

Page 7, line 314: The results of other regressions should be presented in a table.

 

Page 7, line 319: The term multivariate model is too general. The interpretation should correspond to the results. The only variables with significant coefficient are log size and financial stability. The equation could be adequately reduced.

 

Page 8, line 337: The structure and the questions of the in-depth interviews are missing.

 

Page 8, lines 358-362; Page 10, lines 395-399: The direct citation of two answers is very special. It is not clear why these answers get such a high weight. 

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minear spell checking is required.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your time and revision.

Please see the attachment 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you very much for the revised paper.

You react to my concerns.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of the English style is helpful.

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