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Who Ratifies Environmental Treaties and Why? Institutionalism, Structuralism and Participation by 192 Nations in 22 Treaties

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  • J. Timmons Roberts
  • Bradley C. Parks
  • Alexis A. Vásquez

Abstract

International environmental accords have become important mechanisms by which nations make promises to administer natural resources and manage the global environment. Previous studies, relying mainly on single cases or small-n data sets, have shed light on the proximate political causes of participation in these agreements. However, no study has yet systematically explained the deeper social determinants of why nations sign, ignore or resist environmental treaties. We offer a theoretically-sequenced model that exploits complementarities between rational choice institutionalism and world-systems theory. Key variables posited by realists and constructivists are also examined, using a new environmental treaty participation index based on ratifications of 22 major environmental agreements by 192 nations. Cross-sectional OLS regression and path analysis strongly supports the institutionalist claim that credibility-the willingness and ability to honor one's international environmental commit-ments-"matters." But these measures also lend considerable support to the world-systems hypothesis that state credibility is strongly influenced by a legacy of colonial incorporation into the world economy. Narrow export base-our proxy for disadvantaged position in the world-economy-directly and indirectly (through institutions and civil society strength) explains nearly six-tenths of national propensity to sign environmental treaties. A nation's natural capital, its ecological vulnerability, and international environmental NGO memberships had no explanatory power in the path analysis. Our results indicate that new theoretical, methodological and policy approaches are needed to address structural barriers to international cooperation. Copyright (c) 2004 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • J. Timmons Roberts & Bradley C. Parks & Alexis A. Vásquez, 2004. "Who Ratifies Environmental Treaties and Why? Institutionalism, Structuralism and Participation by 192 Nations in 22 Treaties," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 4(3), pages 22-64, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:4:y:2004:i:3:p:22-64
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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. Dasgupta, Shouro & De Cian, Enrica, 2016. "Institutions and the Environment: Existing Evidence and Future Directions," MITP: Mitigation, Innovation and Transformation Pathways 240747, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    3. Leo Wangler & Juan-Carlos Altamirano-Cabrera & Hans-Peter Weikard, 2013. "The political economy of international environmental agreements: a survey," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 387-403, September.
    4. Bernauer, Thomas & Kalbhenn, Anna & Koubi, Vally & Ruoff, Gabriele, 2008. "Globalization, Political Regimes and International Environmental Commitment," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Zurich 2008 1, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
    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. Sophie Perrin & Thomas Bernauer, 2010. "International regime formation revisited: Explaining ratification behaviour with respect to long-range transboundary air pollution agreements in Europe," European Union Politics, , vol. 11(3), pages 405-426, September.
    7. Bernauer, Thomas & Kalbhenn, Anna & Koubi, Vally & Ruoff, Gabi, 2010. "On commitment levels and compliance mechanisms: Determinants of participation in global environmental agreements," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 94, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    8. repec:got:cegedp:94 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. 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.
    10. Sadok El Ghoul & Omrane Guedhami & Robert Nash & Ajay Patel, 2019. "New Evidence on the Role of the Media in Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(4), pages 1051-1079, February.
    11. Ronald Davies & Helen Naughton, 2014. "Cooperation in environmental policy: a spatial approach," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 21(5), pages 923-954, October.
    12. Zeynep Clulow & David M. Reiner, 2022. "Democracy, Economic Development and Low-Carbon Energy: When and Why Does Democratization Promote Energy Transition?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-22, October.
    13. Christopher Marcoux & Johannes Urpelainen, 2012. "Capacity, not constraints: A theory of North-South regulatory cooperation," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 7(4), pages 399-424, December.
    14. Steffen Mohrenberg & Vally Koubi & Thomas Bernauer, 2019. "Effects of funding mechanisms on participation in multilateral environmental agreements," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 1-18, February.
    15. Li, Jing & Shi, Xing & Wu, Huaqing & Liu, Liwen, 2020. "Trade-off between economic development and environmental governance in China: An analysis based on the effect of river chief system," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    16. Paul G. Harris & Taedong Lee, 2017. "Compliance with climate change agreements: the constraints of consumption," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 17(6), pages 779-794, December.
    17. Yan Wang & Tao Zhou & Hao Chen & Zhihai Rong, 2019. "Environmental Homogenization or Heterogenization? The Effects of Globalization on Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 1970–2014," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-23, May.
    18. RonaldB. Mitchell & LilianaB. Andonova & Mark Axelrod & Jörg Balsiger & Thomas Bernauer & JessicaF. Green & James Hollway & RakhyunE. Kim & Jean-Frédéric Morin, 2020. "What We Know (and Could Know) About International EnvironmentalAgreements," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 20(1), pages 103-121, February.
    19. Steven A. Mejia, 2022. "The harmful effects of primary sector foreign direct investment on carbon dioxide emissions in developing countries, 2000–2018," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(6), pages 1475-1488, November.

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