Science and International Environmental Policy

Regimes and Nonregimes in Global Governance

By (author) Radoslav S. Dimitrov

Not available to order

Publication date:

09 November 2005

Length of book:

222 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781461642770

The proliferation of environmental agreements is a defining feature of modern international relations that has attracted considerable academic attention. The cooperation literature focuses on stories of policy creation, and ignores issue areas where policy agreements are absent. Science and International Environmental Policy introduces nonregimes into the study of global governance, and compares successes with failures in the formation of environmental treaties. By exploring collective decisions not to cooperate, it explains why international institutions form but also why, when, and how they do not emerge. The book is a structured comparison of global policy responses to four ecological problems: deforestation, coral reefs degradation, ozone depletion, and acid rain. It explores the connection between knowledge and action in world politics by investigating the role of scientific information in environmental management. The study shows that different types of expert information play uneven roles in policymaking. Extensive analysis of multilateral scientific assessments, participatory observation of negotiations, and interviews with policymakers and scientists reveal that some kinds of information are critical requirements for policy creation while other types are less influential. Moreover, the state of knowledge on ecological problems is not a function of sociopolitical power. By disaggregating the concept of 'knowledge,' the book solves contradictions in previous theoretical work and offers a compelling account of the interplay between knowledge, interests, and power in global environmental politics.
The type of knowledge about non-regimes matters! More precisely, two major innovations characterize Radoslav Dimitrov's Science and International Environmental Policy. First, he innovatively untangles the roles which different types of knowledge play in the formation of international regimes, and second, he overcomes a major shortcoming of the international regime literature by explicitly including non-regime cases in his analysis. This book will ignite a productive debate – of relevance to academia and the practical design of international regimes alike.