IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jcmkts/v59y2021i3p518-534.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

New Partners for the Planet? The European Union and China in International Climate Governance from a Role‐Theoretical Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Julia Gurol
  • Anna Starkmann

Abstract

Only with the three largest emitters (the EU, China and the US) building a coalition was it possible to conclude the Paris Agreement in 2015. With the announced withdrawal of the US, the interdependence between the EU and China has increased significantly. Both actors have reiterated their will to implement the Paris Agreement and to cooperate on climate change. In times of political constraints between the EU and China, this seems puzzling. The paper takes a role‐theoretic perspective to assess the following question: How can the changing roles of the EU and China, ascribed to them by external and internal expectations, explain their increased climate cooperation? It draws on a qualitative text analysis of policy documents and expert interviews. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings against the backdrop of growing tensions between the EU and China.

Suggested Citation

  • Julia Gurol & Anna Starkmann, 2021. "New Partners for the Planet? The European Union and China in International Climate Governance from a Role‐Theoretical Perspective," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 518-534, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:59:y:2021:i:3:p:518-534
    DOI: 10.1111/jcms.13098
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13098
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jcms.13098?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Miranda A. Schreurs, 2016. "The Paris Climate Agreement and the Three Largest Emitters: China, the United States, and the European Union," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 219-223.
    2. Stephan Klose, 2018. "Theorizing the EU's Actorness: Towards an Interactionist Role Theory Framework," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(5), pages 1144-1160, July.
    3. Ian Manners, 2002. "Normative Power Europe: A Contradiction in Terms?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 235-258, June.
    4. Diarmuid Torney, 2015. "Bilateral Climate Cooperation: The EU’s Relations with China and India," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 15(1), pages 105-122, February.
    5. Wendt, Alexander, 1992. "Anarchy is what states make of it: the social construction of power politics," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(2), pages 391-425, April.
    6. Miranda A. Schreurs & Yves Tiberghien, 2007. "Multi-Level Reinforcement: Explaining European Union Leadership in Climate Change Mitigation," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 7(4), pages 19-46, November.
    7. Anna Michalski & Zhongqi Pan, 2017. "Role Dynamics in a Structured Relationship: The EU–China Strategic Partnership," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 611-627, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eloi Laurent & Jacques Le Cacheux, 2010. "The EU as a global ecological power: The logics of marketintegration," Working Papers hal-01880678, HAL.
    2. Lauri Siitonen, 2022. "A normative power or fortress Europe? Normative policy coherence between the European Unionʼs development, migration, and foreign policies," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 40(S1), June.
    3. Moosung Lee, 2012. "A step as normative power: the EU’s human rights policy towards North Korea," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 41-56, May.
    4. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09hac1p8kco is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Karoline Steinbacher & Michael Pahle, 2016. "Leadership and the Energiewende: German Leadership by Diffusion," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 16(4), pages 70-89, November.
    6. Mohamed Limam & Raffaella A. Del Sarto, 2015. "Periphery under Pressure: Morocco, Tunisia and the European Union’s Mobility Partnership on Migration," RSCAS Working Papers 2015/75, European University Institute.
    7. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09hac1p8kco is not listed on IDEAS
    8. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09hac1p8kco is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Mats Braun, 2014. "EU Climate Norms in East-Central Europe," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 445-460, May.
    10. Anna Michalski & Zhongqi Pan, 2017. "Role Dynamics in a Structured Relationship: The EU–China Strategic Partnership," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 611-627, May.
    11. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09hac1p8kco is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Jakob Skovgaard, 2013. "The Limits of Entrapment: The Negotiations on EU Reduction Targets, 2007–11," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(6), pages 1141-1157, November.
    13. Gerau, Jasmin, 2012. "Shared Perceptions of Green? The perception and acceptance of European Union values and rules in environmental policy in Jordan," IEE Working Papers 195, Ruhr University Bochum, Institute of Development Research and Development Policy (IEE).
    14. Steininger, Lea & Hesse, Casimir, 2024. "Buying into new ideas: The ECB’s evolving justification of unlimited liquidity," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 357, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    15. Peter Viggo Jakobsen, 2009. "Small States, Big Influence: The Overlooked Nordic Influence on the Civilian ESDP," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 81-102, January.
    16. Emil Kirchner, 2024. "Geo-economic and geopolitical developments in EU-asia security relations," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 333-349, September.
    17. Harald Schoen, 2008. "Identity, Instrumental Self-Interest and Institutional Evaluations," European Union Politics, , vol. 9(1), pages 5-29, March.
    18. Luuk Middelaar, 2016. "The Return of Politics – The European Union after the crises in the eurozone and Ukraine," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 495-507, May.
    19. Loredana SIMIONOV, 2021. "European Union's pursuit of resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood," CES Working Papers, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 12(4), pages 257-266, February.
    20. Sandberg, Kristin Ingstad & Andresen, Steinar & Bjune, Gunnar, 2010. "A new approach to global health institutions? A case study of new vaccine introduction and the formation of the GAVI Alliance," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(7), pages 1349-1356, October.
    21. May-Britt Stumbaum, 2015. "The diffusion of norms in security-related fields: views from China, India and the EU," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 331-347, September.
    22. Tanja A. Börzel & Thomas Risse, 2009. "Diffusing (Inter-) Regionalism - The EU as a Model of Regional Integration," KFG Working Papers p0007, Free University Berlin.
    23. Anna YAMCHUK, 2014. "The EU-UN cooperation for maintaining international peace and security," Eastern Journal of European Studies, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 5, pages 113-129, June.
    24. Jon Hovi & Tora Skodvin, 2016. "Editorial to the Issue on Climate Governance and the Paris Agreement," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 111-114.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:59:y:2021:i:3:p:518-534. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0021-9886 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.