ABSTRACT

This paper explores how social forces structure public attention to events within the US chemical manufacturing industry. Building on prior theory and research on attention and identity and drawing on a paired case comparison of eight environmental events, we inductively develop a model and hypotheses to explain two research questions. First, how do social forces and structures affect industry attention and inattention to events? Second, when and why do certain events attain high and sustained levels of attention? A key inference is that whether an event receives attention in the business press depends on whether the industry is held accountable for the event, either through external attributions of accountability or industry self-examination. A series of hypotheses are developed that explore the conditions under which an industry is more likely to be held accountable for the event. Finally, we hypothesize that an event can be transformed into a critical issue for an industry if there is external contestation over the accountability for the event and a subsequent challenge to the industryõs identity.