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The Nature and Role of Regional Agreements in International Environmental Politics: Mapping Agreements, Outlining Future Research

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  • Balsiger, Jörg
  • Prys, Miriam
  • Steinhoff, Niko

Abstract

Global agreements to mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity or combat desertification typically take center stage in scholarly discussions about international environmental politics. Even though the United Nations Environment Programme reported ten years ago that regional agreements make up two-thirds of all international treaties, regional cooperation has by comparison either received scant attention or been conceptually and empirically lumped together with global treaties. This lack of knowledge about the historical and current scope of regional governance is a serious obstacle to understanding the architecture of global environmental governance and to overcoming current bottlenecks in international environmental cooperation. In response, we report on the outcome of an analysis that complements the most comprehensive database on international environmental agreements (iea.uoregon.edu) with variables for analysis at the regional level. We introduce a multidimensional typology of regional agreements based on contiguous/noncontiguous agreement membership, contiguous/noncontiguous spatial ambit, and whether membership and ambit are adjoining and/or coextensive. We discuss the theoretical and empirical relevance of the different types of agreements and the nature and prevalence of special cases. Given the previous lack of research in this area, our primary purpose is to present a systematic account of regional environmental governance, leaving causal analysis to our own and others' future research. We identify a number of knowledge gaps and analytical directions in the conclusion.

Suggested Citation

  • Balsiger, Jörg & Prys, Miriam & Steinhoff, Niko, 2012. "The Nature and Role of Regional Agreements in International Environmental Politics: Mapping Agreements, Outlining Future Research," GIGA Working Papers 208, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:gigawp:208
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jörg Balsiger & Stacy D. VanDeveer, 2012. "Navigating Regional Environmental Governance," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 12(3), pages 1-17, August.
    2. Ken Conca, 2012. "The Rise of the Region in Global Environmental Politics," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 12(3), pages 127-133, August.
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    5. Frank Biermann & Philipp Pattberg & Harro van Asselt & Fariborz Zelli, 2009. "The Fragmentation of Global Governance Architectures: A Framework for Analysis," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 9(4), pages 14-40, November.
    6. Asheim, Geir B. & Froyn, Camilla Bretteville & Hovi, Jon & Menz, Fredric C., 2006. "Regional versus global cooperation for climate control," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 93-109, January.
    7. Haas, Ernst B., 1970. "The Study of Regional Integration: Reflections on the Joy and Anguish of Pretheorizing," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(4), pages 606-646, October.
    8. Nye, Joseph S., 1968. "Comparative Regional Integration: Concept and Measurement," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(4), pages 855-880, October.
    9. Godehardt, Nadine & Lembcke, Oliver W., 2010. "Regionale Ordnungen in politischen Räumen. Ein Beitrag zur Theorie regionaler Ordnungen [Regional Orders in Political Spaces. A Contribution to the Theory of Regional Orders]," GIGA Working Papers 124, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
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    1. Ayodele Omoniyi Olagunju & Jill A. E. Blakley, 2017. "Towards an Environmental Governance Agenda in Regional Environmental Assessment: A Case Study of the Crown Managers Partnership," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 19(02), pages 1-33, June.

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