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Civil Society, Corporate Accountability and the Politics of Climate Change

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  • Peter Newell

    (Peter Newell is Professor of Development Studies at the University of East Anglia and James Martin Fellow at the Oxford University Centre for the Environment. He is author of Climate for Change (2000), co-author of The Effectiveness of EU Environmental Policy (2000) and co-editor of several volumes including, most recently, Rights, Resources and the Politics of Accountability (2006).)

Abstract

This article uses the lens of accountability to explore the shifting strategies of a range of civil society groups in their engagement with key actors in the global regime on climate change. It first reviews traditional strategies aimed at increasing the 'public accountability' of governments and UN bodies for agreed actions on climate change. This approach is then compared with the growing tendency to pursue the accountability of private corporations with respect to climate change. These strategies aim, among other things, to promote 'civil regulation': that is, governance of the private sector through civil society oversight. The final part of the article reflects on the possibilities and limitations of civil society actors performing such accountability roles in the contemporary politics of climate change and suggests key challenges for future climate advocacy. It argues that success in enhancing the accountability of public and private actors on the issue of climate change has been highly uneven and reflects both the effectiveness of the strategies adopted and the responsiveness of the target actors and institutions. (c) 2008 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Newell, 2008. "Civil Society, Corporate Accountability and the Politics of Climate Change," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 8(3), pages 122-153, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:8:y:2008:i:3:p:122-153
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. David Ciplet, 2014. "Contesting Climate Injustice: Transnational Advocacy Network Struggles for Rights in UN Climate Politics," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 14(4), pages 75-96, November.
    2. Andrew Chapman & Timothy Fraser & Melanie Dennis, 2019. "Investigating Ties between Energy Policy and Social Equity Research: A Citation Network Analysis," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Markus J. Milne & Suzana Grubnic, 2011. "Climate change accounting research: keeping it interesting and different," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(8), pages 948-977, October.
    4. Fredrik von Malmborg, 2024. "Strategies and Impacts of Policy Entrepreneurs: Ideology, Democracy, and the Quest for a Just Transition to Climate Neutrality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-51, June.
    5. Peter Newell, 2020. "The business of rapid transition," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(6), November.
    6. Christine Moser & Sina Leipold, 2021. "Toward “hardened” accountability? Analyzing the European Union's hybrid transnational governance in timber and biofuel supply chains," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(1), pages 115-132, January.
    7. David Monciardini & Guido Conaldi, 2019. "The European regulation of corporate social responsibility: The role of beneficiaries' intermediaries," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(2), pages 240-259, June.
    8. Boyce, Scott & He, Fangliang, 2023. "Effects of government policy, socioeconomics, and weather on residential GHG emissions across subnational jurisdictions: The case of Canada," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    9. Gavin Price & Andries Walt, 2013. "Changes in Attitudes Towards Business Ethics Held by Former South African Business Management Students," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(3), pages 429-440, March.
    10. Andrew Cheon & Shi-Teng Kang & Swetha Ramachandran, 2021. "Determinants of Environmental Conflict: When Do Communities Mobilize against Fossil Fuel Production?," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 65(7-8), pages 1308-1336, August.
    11. Frances Bowen & Bettina Wittneben, 2011. "Carbon accounting," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(8), pages 1022-1036, October.
    12. Gary Lynch-Wood & David Williamson, 2014. "Civil Regulation, the Environment and the Compliance Orientations of SMEs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(3), pages 467-480, December.
    13. Nadine Arnold, 2022. "Accountability in transnational governance: The partial organization of voluntary sustainability standards in long‐term account‐giving," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(2), pages 375-391, April.
    14. Sherrie Steiner, 2011. "Religious Soft Power as Accountability Mechanism for Power in World Politics," SAGE Open, , vol. 1(3), pages 21582440114, October.
    15. Brookes Brown, 2019. "Beyond Profit and Politics: Reciprocity and the Role of For-Profit Business," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(1), pages 239-251, September.
    16. Swarnalakshmi Umamaheswaran & Vandita Dar & Jagadish Thaker, 2022. "The Evolution of Climate Change Reporting in Business Media: Longitudinal Analysis of a Business Newspaper," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-21, November.
    17. Rishi Basak & Edwin van der Werf, 2019. "Accountability mechanisms in international climate change financing," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 297-313, June.
    18. Jonathan W. Kuyper & Karin Bäckstrand, 2016. "Accountability and Representation: Nonstate Actors in UN Climate Diplomacy," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 16(2), pages 61-81, May.
    19. Steve Williams & Brian Abbott & Edmund Heery, 2017. "Civil Governance in Work and Employment Relations: How Civil Society Organizations Contribute to Systems of Labour Governance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(1), pages 103-119, August.
    20. Aarti Gupta & Harro van Asselt, 2019. "Transparency in multilateral climate politics: Furthering (or distracting from) accountability?," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(1), pages 18-34, March.
    21. Undp, 2011. "HDR 2011 - Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All," Human Development Report (1990 to present), Human Development Report Office (HDRO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), number hdr2011, September.
    22. Sherrie Steiner, 2013. "Reflexivity in External Religious Leaders’ Summit Communication Sequences (2005-2012) to G8 Political Leaders," SAGE Open, , vol. 3(4), pages 21582440135, December.
    23. Paul G. Harris & Taedong Lee, 2017. "Compliance with climate change agreements: the constraints of consumption," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 17(6), pages 779-794, December.

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