Managers of Global Change

by Biermann, Frank; Siebenhuner, Bernd

• ISBN13: 9780262012744
• ISBN10: 026201274X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-09-30
• Publisher: Mit Pr

Summary

International bureaucracies-highly visible, far-reaching actors of global governance in areas that range from finance to the environment-are often derided as ineffective, inefficient, and unresponsive. Yet despite their prominence in many debates on world politics, little scholarly attention has been given to their actual influence in recent years. Managers of Global Changefills this gap, offering conceptual analysis and case studies of the role and relevance of international bureaucracies in the area of environmental governance-one of the most institutionally dynamic areas of world politics. The book seeks to resolve a puzzling disparity: although most international bureaucracies resemble each other in terms of their institutional and legal settings (their mandate, the countries to which they report, their general function), the roles they play and their actual influence vary greatly. The chapters investigate the type and degree of influence that international environmental bureaucracies exert and whether external or internal factors account for variations. After a discussion of theoretical context, research design, and empirical methodology, the book presents nine in-depth case studies of bureaucracies ranging from the environment department of the World Bank to the United Nations' climate and desertification secretariats. Managers of Global Changepoints the way to a better understanding of the role of international bureaucracies, which could improve the legitimacy of global decision making and resolve policy debates about the reform of the United Nations and other bodies. Contributors:Lydia Andler, Steffen Bauer, Steffen Behrle, Frank Biermann, Per-Olof Busch, Sabine Campe, Klaus Dingwerth, Torsten Grothmann, Robert Marschinski, Bernd Siebenhuner, Mireia Tarradell

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
List of Acronyms	p. xiii
The Role and Relevance of International Bureaucracies	p. 1
Setting the Stage
Understanding International Bureaucracies	p. 15
Taking Stock
Studying the Influence of International Bureaucracies	p. 37
A Conceptual Framework
The OECD Environment Directorate	p. 75
The Art of Persuasion and Its Limitations
The World Bank	p. 101
Making the Business Case for the Environment
The Secretariat of the International Maritime Organization	p. 143
A Tanker for Tankers
The Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Programme	p. 169
Tangled Up in Blue
The Secretariat of the Global Environment Facility	p. 203
From Network to Bureaucracy
The Ozone Secretariat	p. 225
The Good Shepherd of Ozone Politics
The Climate Secretariat	p. 245
Making a Living in a Straitjacket
The Biodiversity Secretariat	p. 265
Lean Shark in Troubled Waters
The Desertification Secretariat	p. 293
A Castle Made of Sand
The Influence of International Bureaucracies in World Politics	p. 319
Findings from the MANUS Research Program
Contributors	p. 351
Index	p. 355
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