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Measuring the autonomous influence of an international bureaucracy: the Division for Sustainable Development

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  • Oscar Widerberg
  • Frank Laerhoven

Abstract

International bureaucracies influence global governance processes as independent agents. Biermann and Siebenhüner (Managers of global change: the influence of international environmental bureaucracies. MIT Press, Cambridge, 2009 ) have developed an analytical framework to measure and explain the degree of autonomous influence of bureaucracies. We test the validity of the causal claims in the framework by applying it to the Division for Sustainable Development, the bureaucracy that services the Commission on Sustainable Development and compare the results with existing applications of the framework to the United Nations Environmental Program and the Climate Secretariat (UNFCCC). The test shows that the framework is comprehensive and captures the main elements of bureaucratic influence. The structure of the explanatory variables, however, as well as some causal claims, needs to be improved. For instance, the framework includes too many explanatory variables, and interplay between the variables is not taken into account. The article suggests five concrete measures to improve the framework by, for example, creating protocols, collapsing variables, and introduce weightings to the variables. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Oscar Widerberg & Frank Laerhoven, 2014. "Measuring the autonomous influence of an international bureaucracy: the Division for Sustainable Development," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 303-327, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ieaple:v:14:y:2014:i:4:p:303-327
    DOI: 10.1007/s10784-014-9249-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stine Madland Kaasa, 2007. "The UN Commission on Sustainable Development: Which Mechanisms Explain Its Accomplishments?," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 7(3), pages 107-129, August.
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    7. Roland Vaubel, 2006. "Principal-agent problems in international organizations," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 125-138, June.
    8. Eleni Dellas & Philipp Pattberg & Michele Betsill, 2011. "Agency in earth system governance: refining a research agenda," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 85-98, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Hickmann & Joshua Philipp Elsässer, 0. "New alliances in global environmental governance: how intergovernmental treaty secretariats interact with non-state actors to address transboundary environmental problems," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-23.
    2. Harry Barnes-Dabban & Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen, 2018. "The influence of the Regional Coordinating Unit of the Abidjan Convention: implementing multilateral environmental agreements to prevent shipping pollution in West and Central Africa," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 469-489, August.
    3. Thomas Hickmann & Joshua Philipp Elsässer, 2020. "New alliances in global environmental governance: how intergovernmental treaty secretariats interact with non-state actors to address transboundary environmental problems," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 459-481, September.
    4. Barbara Saerbeck & Mareike Well & Helge Jörgens & Alexandra Goritz & Nina Kolleck, 2020. "Brokering Climate Action: The UNFCCC Secretariat Between Parties and Nonparty Stakeholders," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 20(2), pages 105-127, May.
    5. Marianne Beisheim & Felicitas Fritzsche, 2022. "The UN High‐Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development: An orchestrator, more or less?," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 13(5), pages 683-693, November.

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