Global Environmental Governance

Course Organization

Professor:
Liliana Andonova

 

Course Description

Global environmental problems do not respect borders. Yet, the international system is organised around States as the main units of political authority and regulation. What governance institutions have been established to address this dilemma? This course is an advanced seminar on topics surrounding environmental cooperation and governance, including the negotiation of, compliance with, and effectiveness of international environmental regimes; the emergence of private and hybrid systems of global environmental governance; and the interplay between international financial, trade and environmental institutions.

 

NEWS

1/3/2010 Guidelines for writing response papers can now be downloaded here.

 

 

The course is an advanced seminar on topics surrounding environmental cooperation and governance, including the negotiation of, compliance with, and effectiveness of international environmental regimes, the emergence of private and hybrid systems of global environmental governance, and the interplay between regional and global environmental institutions. Theories of international cooperation provide the basis for analyzing a range of issues, such as the interplay between science and policy, negotiations, standard setting, compliance, as well as private and network governance. These topics will be discussed in the context of multiple regimes, including regional air pollution, ozone layer protection, biodiversity, forestry, whaling, climate change, and environmental management certification.

Readings:

All of the required readings are included in a packet available for purchase from L’Imprimerie Minute. (http://www.imprimerie-minute.ch) Additional reading materials may be posted on the website of the course (the instructor will notify the class in this case). In order to prepare assignments and to participate in class discussions, students must read the required readings prior to class.

 

Requirements:

Response paper (4-5 pages, double-spaced)

Each student will submit one critical response paper on one or several readings for a particular week (a sign-up sheet will be distributed on the first day of class). The short papers are due by email to the TA by Monday 12:00 before the relevant class session; the TA would confirm the receipt of the paper by e-mail.

 

Research paper (25-30 pages, double-spaced):

The paper can be on any topic related to international environmental cooperation. It expected that the paper is organized around a clear question, that it draws on concepts and debates covered in the class, and uses empirical evidence to advance our understanding of these questions, concepts and issues. You may choose, for example, to examine the role of a particular actor (states, NGOs, business organizations), the effectiveness of a particular regime, or broader debates related to environmental governance. It is often helpful to identify a puzzle, which you would wish to address. Evaluations of the final papers will be based on several criteria:

            i) Clarity of the research question and argument;

            ii) Quality and depth of the research;

            iii) Ability to use evidence, counter-arguments, counterfactuals, etc. to support the main thesis;

            iv) Quality, clarity, originality and relevance of graphics and/or other summary or illustrative material

            v) Quality of writing and organization. Evidence of plagiarism (including copying and pasting of text from the web) will result in a failing grade for the course.

 

Final project presentations will be made in groups of several students covering related topics (schedule will be assigned by instructor). One project presentation grade will be assigned to the students within each group. This is a course about cooperation, so it is important for students to demonstrate what they have learned about overcoming collective action problems and cooperating to achieve mutually beneficial-results. The instructor reserves the right to assign a lower grade to students who fail to contribute or undermine the group effort.

 

Evaluation:

Class attendance and participation (10%)

One critical response paper (20 %)

Final project presentation (15%)

Final paper (55%)

 

Class Schedule

February 24: Introduction

 

March 3: Global Environmental Politics and Governance

Keohane, R. and Nye, J.S. 2000 “Introduction” in Nye, J.S. Jr. and J. Donahue (eds.) “Governance in a  Globalizing World. Ch. 1, p. 1-43

Conca, Ken. 2006 “Managing the Global Environment or Protecting the Planet’s Places”, in Ken Conca (ed.) Governing Water: Contentious Transnational Politics and Global Institution Building, p. 1-34

Andonova, Betsill and Bulkeley. 2009. Transnational Climate Governance. Global Environmental Politics 9:2, 52-73.

Young, Oran R. 1997. “Global Governance. Drawing Insights from the Environmental Experience” in Oran Young (ed.) Global Governance: Toward a Theory of Decentralized World Order, p.273-300

Optional: Chasek, Pamela S., D.L. Downie, and J.W. Brown, eds.  2006. Global

Environmental Politics.  Fourth edition.  Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Chapter 1 (Emergence of Global Environmental Politics)

 

Part I. How do new environmental issues make it on the global policy agenda?

 

March 10: Norm Creation and Diffusion

Mendes, Chico. 2004. “Fight for the Forest” in Ken Conca and Geoffrey Dabelko (eds.) Green Planet Blues:Environmental Politics from Stockholm to Johannesburg, p. 94-98;  

COICA. “Two Agendas on Amazon Development”, p. 339-345;

Peluso, Nancy. “Coercing Conservation”, p. 346-357.

Keck, Margaret and Sikkink, Kathryn 1998. Activists Beyond Borders. Advocacy Networks in             International Politics. Chapters 1 and 4, p.121-163.

Hochstetler, Kathryn. 2002. “After the Boomerang: Environmental Movements and Politics in the La Plata River Basin” Global Environmental Politics; Vol. 2 Issue 4, p. 35-57

 

March 17: Science and Epistemic Communities

Haas, Peter M. 1992. “Banning Chlorofluorocarbons: Epistemic Community Efforts to Protect             Stratospheric Ozone” International Organization Vol. 46 Issue 1, p. 187-205

Parson, Edward. 2003 “The Theoretical and Practical Significance of the Ozone Regime” in Parson, Edward (ed.) Protecting the ozone layer: science and strategy. Chapter 9, p. 245-280.

Mitchell, R. et al. 2006. “Information and Influence” in Mitchell, R. et al (eds.) Global Environmental Assessments, Ch. 11 p. 307-338

 

Assignment: Please submit to the TA 1-2 pages summary research design of your final project. The summary should include: i) main question/puzzle; ii) one paragraph justification of the importance of this question from conceptual and/or policy perspective; iii) at least 3 references to relevant literature that support your choice; iv)  research methods, cases, data that you plan to use in pursuing this research.

Part II. How are rules, norms and standards adopted?

 

March 24: Negotiations

James K. Sebenius. 1991. “Designing Negotiations Toward a New Regime: The Case of Global Warming” International Security, Vol. 15, No. 4 p. 110-148

Young, Oran. 1994. “Bargaining Leverage vs. Structural Power” in Oran Young (ed.) International Governance: Protecting the Environment in a Stateless Society, Ch. 5, p. 117-139         

Robert D. Putnam. Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Level Games.International Organization, Vol. 42, No. 3. (Summer, 1988), pp. 427-460.

Barrett, Scott. 2003. “Global Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol.” In Scott Barrett (ed.)             Environment and Statecraft: the Strategy of Environmental Treaty, Chapter 15, p. 359-398

Victor, David G. 2006 “Toward Effective International Cooperation on Climate Change: Numbers, Interests and Institutions” Global Environmental Politics, Vol. 6 No 3, p. 90-103

Buchner, B. and C. Corraro. 2006. US, China and the Economics of Climate Negotiations.              International Environmental Agreements, 6:63-89.

Bodansky, Daniel, 'The Copenhagen Conference: A Post-Mortem', SSRN

 

Copenhagen Accord URL

http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/cop15/eng/l07.pdf

 

Assignment: Please come prepared to discuss the negotiation position of one pre-selected county at the UNFCCC  COP in Copenhagen, December 2009 (sign up sheet to be distributed in advance).

 

March 31: International standard setting and policy diffusion

Levy, Marc A. 1994. “European Acid Rain: The Power of Tote-Board Diplomacy” in Haas,   Keohane, and Levy, (eds.) Institutions for the Earth, Ch. 3, p. 75-132

Jorgen Wettestad. 2002. “Clearing the Air. Europe Tackles Transboundary Pollution”.Environment, Vol. 44 No. 2, p. 32.

Willemnijn Tuinstra, Leen Hordijk, and Markus Amann. 1999. “Using Computer Models in International Cooperation.” Environment, Vol. 44 No. 9, p. 32.

Andonova, Liliana. 2009. “Acid Rain in a Wider Europe.” In Acid in the Environment: Lessons Learned and Future Prospects, edited by Gerald R. Visgilio and Diana M. Whitelaw. Springer. 2006

Holzinger, Katharina; Knill, Christoph; Sommerer, Thomas. 2009. Environmental Policy Convergence:The Impact of International Harmonization, Transnational Communication, and Regulatory Competition. International Organization, Fall2008, Vol. 62 Issue 4, p553-587

 

April 7: No class

 

April 14: Compliance and Effectiveness

Chayes, Abram; Antonia Handler 1993. “On Compliance” International Organization, Vol. 47 No. 2, p. 175-205

George W. Downs, David M. Rocke, and Peter N. Barsoom (1996), “Is the Good News about             Compliance Good News about Cooperation?” International Organization, Vol. 50,   No. 3, p. 379-406.

Young, O, ed. 1999. The Effectiveness Of International Environmental Regimes: Causal Connections And Behavioral Mechanisms (MIT Press), ch. 1 by Young and Levy.

Andonova, Liliana. 2008. “The climate regime and domestic politics: the case of Russia” Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Vol. 21 No. 4, p. 483 -504

Xinyuan Dai. 2005. Why Comply? The Domestic Constituency Mechanism. International Organization, Spring2005, Vol. 59 Issue 2, p363-398, 36p.

 

 

Part III. New Governance Modalities

 

April 21: The European Union: Multi-level Environmental Governance

Alberta M. Sbragia. 2000. “Environmental Policy” in Wallace, Helen and William Wallace, (eds.) Policy Making in the European Union

Jonas Tallberg. “Paths to Compliance: Enforcement, Management, and the European Union”             International Organization, Vol. 56 No. 3, p. 609-643

Schreurs, Miranda A., Tiberghien, Yves. 2007. “Multi-Level Reinforcement: Explaining European Union Leadership in Climate Change“ Global Environmental Politics, Vol. 7 No. 4, p. 19-46

Selin, Henrik. 2007. “Coalition Politics and Chemicals Management in a Regulatory Ambitious Europe.” Global Environmental Politics, Vol. 7 Issue 3, p. 63-93

 

April 28: Private Authority and Public-Private Partnerships

Cashore et al. 2004. Governing through Markets (Yale University Press). Chapter 1.            

Levy, David L. and Peter J. Newell. 2005. The Business of Global Environmental Governance (MIT Press). Ch. 2 (by Newell) and Ch. 9 (by Clapp)

Espach, Ralph. 2006. “When is Sustainable Forestry Sustainable? The Forest Stewardship Council in Argentina and Brazil”. Global Environmental Politics, Vol. 6 No. 2, p. 55-84

Prakash, Aseem and Matthew Potoski. Racing to the Bottom? Trade, Environmental Governance, and ISO 14001. American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 50, No. 2, April 2006, Pp. 350–364

 

May 5: Networks and public-private partnerships

Betsill, Michelle M. and Bulkeley, Harriet. 2004. Transnational Networks and Global Environmental Governance: The Cities for Climate Protection Program. International Studies Quarterly, Vol. 48, p.471–493.

Kern, Kristine and Gotelind Alber, ‘Governing Climate Change in Cities: Modes of Urban Climate Governance in Multi-level Systems’, Chapter 8 in The international conference on Competitive Cities and Climate Change, Milan, Italy, 9 - 10 October, 2009. - Paris : OECD, 2009

Andonova, Liliana B. 2010. Public-Private Partnerships for the Earth: Politics and Patterns of Hybrid Authority in the Multilateral System. Forthcoming in Global Environmental Politics, May 2010.

Lovbrand, E. et al. 2009. Closing the Legitimacy Gap in Global Environmental Governance?Lessons from the Emerging CDM Market. Global Environmental Politics, May 2009.

 

May 12: Final presentations

May 19: Final presentations

May 26: Final presentations.

June 2: Final Papers due.