GV591-7-AU-CO:
International Environmental Politics
2019/20
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 03 October 2019
Saturday 14 December 2019
15
13 August 2019
Requisites for this module
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How can the international community effectively address global environmental problems, e.g., the depletion of the ozone layer and climate change? This module offers a comprehensive examination of global environmental politics and facilitates an understanding of how international problem-solving efforts emerge among what kinds of actors, what kind of impact such instruments have, and why state efforts to regulate global environmental issues might fail. The world community's response to transnational environmental issues has been to build a complex structure of environmental regimes and multilateral agreements. We will examine the underlying theoretical approaches comprehensively, paying particular attention to the design of international environmental regimes, the determinants of states participating in these institutions, and their effectiveness. An additional drawback with regime governance is that it can lead to piece-meal responses and overlapping institutions with little impact on the overall problems posed to the global system. Building on this general overview, we will contrast the cases of the depletion of the ozone layer and climate change, before concentrating on the consequences of climate change for interstate and intrastate conflict. We then study the nexus of trade and the environment at a global level in trying to answer whether globalization facilitates or worsens the international community's response to global environmental problems. Finally, we explore the possibilities for enhanced environmental governance and the future of international environmental politics.
Aims
To provide students with the main theoretical arguments of international environmental politics, particularly with regard to environmental regimes.
To engage with a wide range of applied empirical material relating global environmental politics.
To present a range of contemporary international environmental issues, which are discussed both from a theoretical point of view and an empirical perspective.
Objectives
By the end of the module, students should:
Be able to critically assess theoretical approaches in international environmental politics, including regime theory.
Possess the skills to carefully assess the empirical evidence for these theoretical approaches.
Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of contemporary issues in international environmental politics.
Be able to express well-informed opinions about contemporary international environmental issues.
By following this module, students will gain the following skills:
Select and read appropriate material that contains required information and data.
Synthesize the obtained information to use it for relevant purposes (e.g., essays, presentations, discussions, etc.).
Organize information clearly and coherently.
Explore complex environmental problems at the global/international level and analyze their main characteristics, determinants, and consequences.
No additional information available.
The module runs over 10 weeks. Each weekly seminar comprises of a 2 hour lecture.
Each session – except for Week 9 through 11 – will start with the lecturer's introduction to the weekly topic followed by students' discussions of the material from the required readings and how they are related to contemporary problems. Weeks 9 through 11 will be dedicated to the students' presentations.
Attendance is compulsory. It is expected that students have read the required readings for a specific week and are prepared to discuss them. In the classes, the most important points raised in the lecture will be discussed in more detail, and we will extend the perspective by looking at broader issues.
- Bernauer, Thomas. (2013) 'Climate Change Politics', in Annual Review of Political Science. vol. 16 (1) , pp.421-448
- Vogel, David. (2008-06) 'Private Global Business Regulation', in Annual Review of Political Science. vol. 11 (1) , pp.261-282
- Harrison, Kathryn; Sundstrom, Lisa McIntosh. (c2010) Global commons, domestic decisions: the comparative politics of climate change, Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
- Hasenclever, Andreas; Mayer, Peter; Rittberger, Volker. (1997) Theories of international regimes, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. vol. 55
- O'Riordan, Timothy; Jordan, Andrew. (1995) 'The Precautionary Principle in Contemporary Environmental Politics', in Environmental Values: White Horse Press. vol. 4 (3)
- Fariborz Zelli; Harro van Asselt. (2013) 'The Institutional Fragmentation of Global Environmental Governance: Causes, Consequences, and Responses', in Global Environmental Politics. vol. 13 (3) , pp.1-13
- Carter, Neil. (2007) The politics of the environment: ideas, activism, policy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Ward, Hugh. (2006) 'International Linkages and Environmental Sustainability: The Effectiveness of the Regime Network', in Journal of Peace Research: Sage Publications, Ltd. vol. 43 (2) , pp.149-166
- Herbert P. Kitschelt. (1986) 'Political Opportunity Structures and Political Protest: Anti-Nuclear Movements in Four Democracies', in British Journal of Political Science: Cambridge University Press. vol. 16 (1) , pp.57-85
- O'Neill, Kate. (2017) The environment and international relations, Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
- Bernauer, Thomas; Koubi, Vally. (2009-3) 'Effects of political institutions on air quality', in Ecological Economics. vol. 68 (5) , pp.1355-1365
- Jennifer Clapp. (2002) 'What the Pollution Havens Debate Overlooks', in Global Environmental Politics. vol. 2 (2) , pp.11-19
- Morin, Jean-Frédéric; Jinnah, Sikina. (2018) 'The untapped potential of preferential trade agreements for climate governance', in Environmental Politics. vol. 27 (3) , pp.541-565
- Jensen, Christian B.; Spoon, Jae-Jae. (2011-03) 'Testing the ‘Party Matters' Thesis: Explaining Progress Towards Kyoto Protocol Targets', in Political Studies. vol. 59 (1) , pp.99-115
- Ronald B. Mitchell. (2010) International politics and the environment, London: SAGE.
- Carter, Neil. (2018) The politics of the environment: ideas, activism, policy, New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Ringquist, Evan J.; Kostadinova, Tatiana. (2005) 'Assessing the Effectiveness of International Environmental Agreements: The Case of the 1985 Helsinki Protocol', in American Journal of Political Science. vol. 49 (1) , pp.86-102
- Edward L. Miles. (2002) Environmental regime effectiveness: confronting theory with evidence, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Stavins, R.; Whitehead, B. (2005) 'Market-Based Environmental Policies', in Debating the earth: the environmental politics reader, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Gehring, Thomas; Oberthür, Sebastian. (2009-03) 'The Causal Mechanisms of Interaction between International Institutions', in European Journal of International Relations. vol. 15 (1) , pp.125-156
- Dechezleprêtre, Antoine; Sato, Misato. (2017) 'The Impacts of Environmental Regulations on Competitiveness', in Review of Environmental Economics and Policy. vol. 11 (2) , pp.183-206
- Gleditsch, Nils Petter; Nordås, Ragnhild. (2014-11) 'Conflicting messages? The IPCC on conflict and human security', in Political Geography. vol. 43, pp.82-90
- O'Neill, Kate; dawsonera. (2009) The environment and international relations, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Abbott, Kenneth W.; Snidal, Duncan. (2000) 'Hard and Soft Law in International Governance', in International Organization: The MIT Press. vol. 54 (3) , pp.421-456
- Helm, Carsten; Sprinz, Detlef. (2000) 'Measuring the Effectiveness of International Environmental Regimes', in The Journal of Conflict Resolution: Sage Publications, Inc. vol. 44 (5) , pp.630-652
- Bernauer, Thomas. (2013) 'Is There a ‘Depth versus Participation’ Dilemma in International Cooperation?', in Berlin Conference on Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change.
- Spoon, Jae-Jae; Hobolt, Sara B.; de Vries, Catherine E. (2014-05) 'Going green: Explaining issue competition on the environment', in European Journal of Political Research. vol. 53 (2) , pp.363-380
- Michèle B. Bättig; Thomas Bernauer. (2009) 'National Institutions and Global Public Goods: Are Democracies More Cooperative in Climate Change Policy?', in International Organization: Cambridge University Press. vol. 63 (2) , pp.281-308
- Gabriele Spilker; Vally Koubi. (2016) 'The effects of treaty legality and domestic institutional hurdles on environmental treaty ratification', in International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics. vol. 16 (2) , pp.223-238
- Aklin, Michaël. (2015) 'Re-Exploring the Trade and Environment Nexus Through the Diffusion of Pollution', in SSRN Electronic Journal.
- Bechtel, Michael M.; Scheve, Kenneth F. (2013) 'Mass support for global climate agreements depends on institutional design', in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America: National Academy of Sciences. vol. 110 (34) , pp.13763-13768
- Murdoch, James C.; Sandler, Todd. (1997) 'The voluntary provision of a pure public good: The case of reduced CFC emissions and the Montreal Protocol', in Journal of Public Economics. vol. 63 (3) , pp.331-349
- John A. List; Daniel M. Sturm. (2006) 'How Elections Matter: Theory and Evidence from Environmental Policy', in The Quarterly Journal of Economics: Oxford University Press. vol. 121 (4) , pp.1249-1281
- So Young Kim; Yael Wolinsky-Nahmias. (2014) 'Cross-National Public Opinion on Climate Change: The Effects of Affluence and Vulnerability', in Global Environmental Politics. vol. 14 (1) , pp.79-106
- Barnett, Jon; Adger, W. Neil. (2007) 'Climate change, human security and violent conflict', in Political Geography. vol. 26 (6) , pp.639-655
- Hawken, P.; Lovins, A.; Lovins, L. Hunter. (2005) 'The Next Industrial Revolution', in Debating the earth: the environmental politics reader, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Buhaug, Halvard. (2010) 'Climate not to blame for African civil wars', in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America: National Academy of Sciences. vol. 107 (38) , pp.16477-16482
- Bernauer, Thomas; Kalbhenn, Anna; Koubi, Vally; Spliker, Gabrielle. (2010) 'A Comparison of International and Domestic Sources of Global Governance Dynamics', in British Journal of Political Science: Cambridge University Press. vol. 40 (3) , pp.509-538
- Bohringer, Christoph. (2003) 'The Kyoto Protocol: A Review and Perspectives', in Oxford Review of Economic Policy. vol. 19 (3) , pp.451-466
- Yoshiki Yamagata; Jue Yang; Joseph Galaskiewicz. (2017) 'State power and diffusion processes in the ratification of global environmental treaties, 1981–2008', in International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics. vol. 17 (4) , pp.501-529
- Deborah Rigling-Gallagher; Erika Weinthal. (2012) 'Business-State Relations and the Environment: The Evolving Role of Corporate Responsibility', in Comparative environmental politics: theory, practice, prospects, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press., pp.143-170
- Szakonyi, David; Urpelainen, Johannes. (2014-07) 'Who Benefits From Economic Reform? Firms and Distributive Politics', in The Journal of Politics. vol. 76 (3) , pp.841-858
- Koremenos, Barbara; Lipson, Charles; Snidal, Duncan. (2001) 'The Rational Design of International Institutions', in International Organization: The MIT Press. vol. 55 (4) , pp.761-799
- Amandine Orsini; Jean-Frédéric Morin; Oran Young. (2013) 'Regime Complexes: A Buzz, a Boom, or a Boost for Global Governance?', in Global Governance. vol. 19 (1) , pp.27-39
- Garrett Hardin. (3859) 'The Tragedy of the Commons', in Science: American Association for the Advancement of Science. vol. 162, pp.1243-1248
- Aldy, Joseph E.; Kotchen, Matthew J.; Leiserowitz, Anthony A. (2012-8) 'Willingness to pay and political support for a US national clean energy standard', in Nature Climate Change. vol. 2 (8) , pp.596-599
- Michele M. Betsill; Harriet Bulkeley. (2004) 'Transnational Networks and Global Environmental Governance: The Cities for Climate Protection Program', in International Studies Quarterly: Wiley. vol. 48 (2) , pp.471-493
- Gullberg, Anne Therese. (2008-8) 'Lobbying friends and foes in climate policy: The case of business and environmental interest groups in the European Union', in Energy Policy. vol. 36 (8) , pp.2964-2972
- Böhmelt, Tobias; Spilker, Gabriele. (2016) 'The interaction of international institutions from a social network perspective', in International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics. vol. 16 (1) , pp.67-89
- Neumayer, Eric. (2003-6) 'Are left-wing party strength and corporatism good for the environment? Evidence from panel analysis of air pollution in OECD countries', in Ecological Economics. vol. 45 (2) , pp.203-220
- David Schlosberg; David Carruthers. (2010) 'Indigenous Struggles, Environmental Justice, and Community Capabilities', in Global Environmental Politics. vol. 10 (4) , pp.12-35
- Goodin, R. (2005) 'Selling Environmental Indulgences', in Debating the earth: the environmental politics reader, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Walley, NoahWhitehead, Bradley. (no date) 'It's Not Easy Being Green.', in Harvard Business Review. vol. 72 (3) , pp.46-51
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Class Presentation |
|
20% |
| Coursework |
Final Research Paper |
|
55% |
| Practical |
Class Discussion |
|
5% |
| Practical |
Class Presentation |
|
20% |
Additional coursework information
a) Participation: Regular attendance and active class participation will influence the quality of the module. Thus, participation constitutes a significant portion of the course grade. Students are expected to read the required readings and come prepared to discuss them in class. If a student misses more than two sessions for whatever reason (unless due to extenuating circumstances), the participation mark will automatically be 0.
b) Research Paper Outline: Students will submit a short outline (3-4 pages) of their research questions and research design for their final research paper. Topics can be selected in consultation with the module supervisor. This outline is due Week 8, on the day of session at 09.45am.
c) Class Presentation: On the first session of the module (Week 2), students will be asked to choose a weekly topic from this syllabus on (see Weekly Readings section below) which they would like to present on. Based on their selected topic, students will be assigned to small groups. Each small group will present on 2 of the selected weekly readings for the chosen topic. All presentations will take place between Week 9 and 11. Each group’s presentation will be 5-10 minutes long, and will (1) expose the summary of the selected readings and (2) propose limitations and concerns with the readings’ theory and/or empirical findings. Powerpoint slides are required, and a handout is highly recommended.
d) Research paper: A final research paper is expected to complete the module (20-30 pages; double spaced; about 6,000 words). Students will write their research paper on the premise of their research paper outline and the feedback they receive on this. The research paper is due the first week of Spring term (Week 16).
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Tobias Bohmelt, email: tbohmelt@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Federica Genovese
Module Supervisor Professor Tobias Bohmelt tbohmelt@essex.ac.uk or Module Administrator, Jamie Seakens (govpgquery@essex.ac.uk)
No
Yes
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 18 hours, 18 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Government
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