Abstract
For scholars of international environmental agreements, the role of non-state actors has been a central focus. There is a considerable literature on the influence of environmental NGOs and business groups on state behaviour and in turn international environmental outcomes. However, much less empirical work has been done to examine the influence of these actors and the strategies they can use in prolonged international environmental negotiations that last for years or decades. This article takes up this task. Drawing on a rich empirical data set on the role of European-based actors in the international climate change negotiations, it considers the influence of non-state actors in prolonged negotiations and identifies four strategies that these actors can use to influence state actors and non-state actors alike.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arts, B. (1998). The political influence of global NGOs: Case studies on the climate and biodiversity conventions. Utrecht: International Books.
Avant, D., Finnemore, M., & Sell, S. (Eds.). (2010). Who governs the globe? (Cambridge Studies in International Relations). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Barnett, M., & Sikkink, K. (2008). From international relations to global society. In C. Reus-Smit & D. Snidal (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of international relations (pp. 62–83). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Berry, J. M. (2002). Validity and reliability issues in elite interviewing. PS: Political Science and Politics, 35(4), 679–682.
Betsill, M. (2008). Environmental NGOs and the Kyoto protocol negotiations: 1995 to 1997. In M. Betsill & E. Corell (Eds.), NGO diplomacy: The influence of nongovernmental organizations in international environmental negotiations (pp. 43–66). Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Betsill, M., & Corell, E. (2008). Introduction to NGO diplomacy. In M. Betsill & E. Corell (Eds.), NGO diplomacy: The influence of nongovernmental organizations in international environmental negotiations. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Beuermann, C., & Jager, J. (1996). Climate change politics in Germany: How long will any double dividend last? In T. O’Riordan & J. Jager (Eds.), Politics of climate change: A European perspective. London: Routledge.
Braithwaite, J., & Drahos, P. (2000). Global business regulation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cass, L. (2007). The indispensable awkward partner: The United Kingdom in European climate policy. In P. Harris (Ed.), Europe and global climate change: Politics, foreign policy and regional cooperation (pp. 63–86). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Christiansen, A., & Wettestad, J. (2003). The EU as a frontrunner on greenhouse gas emissions trading: How did it happen and will the EU succeed? Climate Policy, 3(1), 3–18.
Corell, E., & Betsill, M. (2008). Analytical framework: Assessing the influence of NGO diplomats. In E. Corell & M. Betsill (Eds.), NGO diplomacy: The influence of nongovernmental organizations in international environmental negotiations (pp. 19–42). Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Darkin, B. (2006). Pledges, politics and performance: An assessment of UK climate policy. Climate Policy, 6, 257–274.
Downie, C. (2014a). Transnational actors: Nongovernmental organizations, civil society and individuals. In P. Harris (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Global Environmental Politics (pp. 176–186). New York: Routledge.
Downie, C. (2014b). The Politics Of Climate Change Negotiations: Strategies and Variables in Prolonged International Negotiations. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Downie, C. (2014c). Transnational actors in environmental politics: Strategies and influence in long negotiations. Environmental Politics, 23(3), 376–394.
Fontana, M.-C. (2011). Europeanization and domestic policy concertation: How actors use Europe to modify domestic patterns of policy-making. Journal of European Public Policy, 18(5), 654–671.
Giorgetti, C. (1999). From Rio to Kyoto: A study of the involvement of non-governmental organizations in the negotiations on climate change. N.Y.U Environmental Law Journal, 7, 201–245.
Gough, C., & Shackley, S. (2001). The respectable politics of climate change: The epistemic communities and NGOs. International Affairs, 77(2), 329–345.
Gupta, J., & van der Grijp, N. (2000). Perceptions of the EU’s role. In J. Gupta & M. Grubb (Eds.), Climate change and European leadership? A sustainable role for europe?. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Harris, P. (2007). Europe and the politics and foreign policy of global climate change. In P. Harris (Ed.), Europe and global climate change: Politics, foreign policy and regional cooperation (pp. 3–37). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Keck, M., & Sikkink, K. (1998). Activists beyond borders: Advocacy networks in international politics. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Lake, D. (2008). The state and international relations. In C. Reus-Smit & D. Snidal (Eds.), Oxford handbook of international relations (pp. 41–61). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lake, D. (2010). Rightful rules: Authority, order, and the foundations of global governance. International Studies Quarterly, 54(3), 587–613.
Levy, D. (2005). Business and the evolution of the climate regime. In D. Levy & P. Newell (Eds.), The business of global environmental governance (pp. 73–104). Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Moravcsik, A. (1994). Why the European Union strengthens the state: domestic politics and international cooperation. Paper presented at the Centre for European Studies: Working Paper 52, Cambridge.
Nasiritousi, N., Hjerpe, M., & Linnér, B.-O. (2014). The roles of non-state actors in climate change governance: Understanding agency through governance profiles. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics. doi:10.1007/s10784-014-9243-8.
Newell, P. (2000). Climate for change: Non-state actors and the global politics of the greenhouse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Oberthur, S., & Ott, H. (1999). The Kyoto protocol: International climate policy for the 21st century. Berlin: Springer.
Odell, J. (1993). International threats and internal politics: Brazil, the European community, and the United States 1985–1987. In P. Evans, H. Jacobson, & R. Putnam (Eds.), Double-edged diplomacy: International bargaining and domestic politics (pp. 233–264). Berkeley: University of California Press.
Odell, J., & Sell, S. (2006). Reframing the issue: The WTO coalition on intellectual property and public health, 2011. In J. Odell (Ed.), Negotiating trade: Developing countries in the WTO and NAFTA. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Putnam, R. (1988). Diplomacy and domestic politics: The logic of two-level games. International Organization, 42(3), 427–460.
Rhodes, R. (2007). Understanding governance: Ten years On. Organization Studies, 28, 1243–1264.
Ringius, L. (1999). Differentiation, leaders, and fairness: Negotiating climate commitments in the European community. International Negotiation, 4(2), 133–166.
Risse-Kappen, T. (1995). Bringing transnational relations back in: Introduction. In T. Risse-Kappen (Ed.), Bringing transnational relations back in: Non-state actors, domestic structures and international institutions (pp. 3–34). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sebenius, J. (1994). Towards a winning climate coalition. In I. Mintzer & A. Leonard (Eds.), Negotiating climate change: The inside story of the rio convention (pp. 277–320). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sewell, G. (2005). Actors, Coalitions and the framework convention on climate change. Boston: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Skjaerseth, J. B., & Skodovin, T. (2003). Climate change and the oil industry: Common problem, varying strategies. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Skjaerseth, J. B., & Wettestad, J. (2008). EU emissions trading: Initiation, decision-making and implementation. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Tienhaara, K. (2014). Business: Corporate and industrial influence. In P. Harris (Ed.), Handbook of global environmental politics (pp. 164–175). London: Routledge.
van Asselt, H. (2010). Emissions trading: The enthusiastic adoption of an ‘alien’ instrument? In A. Jordan, D. Huitema, H. V. Asselt, T. Rayner, & F. Berkhout (Eds.), Climate change policy in the European union: Confronting the dilemmas of mitigation and adaptation? (pp. 125–144). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
WWF. (1996). Policies and measures to reduce CO 2 emissions by efficiency and renewables. A preliminary survey for the period to 2005. The Netherlands: Utrecht University.
Yin, R. (2009). Case study research design and methods (4th ed.). London: Sage Publications.
Young, O. (1999). Regime effectiveness: Taking stock. In O. Young (Ed.), The effectiveness of international environmental regimes (pp. 249–279). Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Downie, C. Prolonged international environmental negotiations: the roles and strategies of non-state actors in the EU. Int Environ Agreements 16, 739–755 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-015-9292-7
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-015-9292-7