Environmental Policy Convergence in Europe: The Impact of International Institutions and Trade

by Edited by Katharina Holzinger , Christoph Knill , Bas Arts

• ISBN13: 9780521717359
• ISBN10: 0521717353
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-09-15
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Has globalisation led to a convergence in policy-making across nations and, if so, what are the causal mechanisms? This book analyses the extent to which the environmental policies of nation states have converged over the last thirty years and whether this convergence led to a strengthening or weakening of environmental standards (a race to the top, or a race to the bottom). It also analyses the factors that account for these developments. Based on a unique empirical data set, the study covers the development of a wide range of environmental policies in twenty four OECD countries, including EU Members States as well as Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Mexico and the USA, with particular emphasis on the impact of institutional and economic interlinkages among these countries.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

State of the art - conceptualising environmental policy convergence

Theoretical framework: causal factors and convergence expectations

Research design, variables and data

Degree and direction of environmental policy convergence: analysis of aggregate data

The pair approach: what causes convergence of environmental policies?

The gap approach: what affects the direction of environmental policy convergence?

Conclusion

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