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Is There a Democracy–Civil Society Paradox in Global Environmental Governance?

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas Bernauer

    (Thomas Bernauer is a Professor of Political Science at ETH Zurich.)

  • Tobias Böhmelt

    (Tobias Böhmelt has been a Post–doctoral Research Fellow at ETH Zurich since 2010.)

  • Vally Koubi

    (Vally Koubi is a Senior Scientist at ETH Zurich and Adjunct Professor in the Economics Department at the University of Bern.)

Abstract

Civil society is commonly assumed to have a positive effect on international cooperation. This paper sheds light on one important facet of this assumption: we examine the impact of environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) on ratification behavior of countries vis-à-vis international environmental agreements (IEAs). The main argument of the paper focuses on a “democracy-civil society paradox”: although ENGOs have a positive effect on ratification of IEAs on average, this effect decreases with increasing levels of democracy. This argument is counter-intuitive and appears paradoxical because democracy is generally associated both with a more active civil society and more international cooperation. The reasons for this hypothesized effect pertain to public demand for environmental public goods provision, government incentives, and problems of collective action among ENGOs. To test the net effect of ENGOs on countries' ratification behavior, the paper uses a new dataset on ENGOs in the time-period 1973–2006. The results offer strong support for the presumed democracy–civil society paradox. © 2013 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Bernauer & Tobias Böhmelt & Vally Koubi, 2013. "Is There a Democracy–Civil Society Paradox in Global Environmental Governance?," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 13(1), pages 88-107, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:13:y:2013:i:1:p:88-107
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Tobias Böhmelt & Carola Betzold, 2013. "The impact of environmental interest groups in international negotiations: Do ENGOs induce stronger environmental commitments?," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 127-151, May.
    2. Bellelli, Francesco S. & Scarpa, Riccardo & Aftab, Ashar, 2023. "An empirical analysis of participation in international environmental agreements," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    3. Tobias Böhmelt & Jürg Vollenweider, 2015. "Information flows and social capital through linkages: the effectiveness of the CLRTAP network," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 105-123, May.
    4. Never, Babette & Betz, Joachim, 2014. "Comparing the Climate Policy Performance of Emerging Economies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1-15.
    5. Tobias Böhmelt & Edita Butkutė, 2018. "The self-selection of democracies into treaty design: insights from international environmental agreements," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 351-367, June.
    6. Wang, Quan-Jing & Peng, Xin-Yu & Wang, Hai-Jie & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2023. "The diversity impact of democracy on forest protection: Global evidence," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    7. Alotaish Mohammed Saud M. & Ping Guo & Ihtisham ul Haq & Guoqin Pan & Alam Khan, 2019. "Do government expenditure and financial development impede environmental degradation in Venezuela?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, January.
    8. Tobias Böhmelt, 2013. "A closer look at the information provision rationale: Civil society participation in states’ delegations at the UNFCCC," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 55-80, March.
    9. Oliver Westerwinter, 2021. "Transnational public-private governance initiatives in world politics: Introducing a new dataset," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 137-174, January.
    10. Maggioni, Daniela & Santangelo, Grazia D., 2017. "Local Environmental Non-Profit Organizations and the Green Investment Strategies of Family Firms," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 126-138.
    11. Kauder, Björn & Potrafke, Niklas & Ursprung, Heinrich, 2018. "Behavioral determinants of proclaimed support for environment protection policies," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 26-41.
    12. Federica Genovese & Endre Tvinnereim, 2019. "Who opposes climate regulation? Business preferences for the European emission trading scheme," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 511-542, September.
    13. (ed.), 0. "Research Handbook on Economic Diplomacy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 16053.
    14. Jan Beyers & Marcel Hanegraaff, 2017. "Balancing friends and foes: Explaining advocacy styles at global diplomatic conferences," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 461-484, September.
    15. Imhof Sina & Gutmann Jerg & Voigt Stefan, 2016. "The Economics of Green Constitutions," Asian Journal of Law and Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 7(3), pages 305-322, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    international environmental agreements; environmental non-governmental organizations;

    JEL classification:

    • F53 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Agreements and Observance; International Organizations
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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