Domestic Environmental Policy Research Articles

Defensive issue linkage: exploring the origins of environmental content in trade agreements

ABSTRACT The political linkages between trade and environmental policy have rapidly increased since 1990. In this paper, I suggest a novel mechanism behind this phenomenon – ‘defensive issue linkage.’ As the scope of trade law expanded, it increasingly touched upon domestic and international environmental policies. As a result, environmental groups mobilized to seek carve-outs that preserve their traditional policy space. However, their opposition also led to the increased inclusion of proactive clauses that further the linkage between trade and the environment as policymakers strove to bolster ratifying coalitions. Using qualitative evidence from the US, EU, and Malaysia, I show that environmental groups mobilize in reaction to the expanding scope of trade policies and explore how this influences trade agreement content. A quantitative analysis of preferential trade agreements concluded between 1989 and 2016 then shows that general patterns of environmental clause inclusion are consistent with the channel of ‘defensive issue linkage.’

Crisis and reform in Greece: a theoretical discussion on the domestic policy environment

ABSTRACT This article examines the domestic reform environment in Greece during the Eurozone crisis and explores how it affected the policy implementation process. It provides an integrated theoretical approach by combining the elements of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) and the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF). The ACF and NPF prove useful in explaining the tumultuous implementation of the three memoranda in Greece. The pro-memorandum/pro-change coalition emerged weak in Greece and was destined to fall apart in a short time due to its failure to employ effective narrative strategies. On the other hand, the status-quo coalition and its belief system emerged stronger by utilizing effective narrative strategies. These factors resulted in a lack of broader social and political consensus regarding the necessity of reforms during the initial phase of the crisis, ultimately leading to a continuous cycle of disarray and external conditionality.

Beyond intergovernmental cooperation: domestic politics of transboundary air pollution in Korea and Singapore.

This study explores why the implementation of domestic environmental policies that tackle transboundary air pollution has been undermined by comparing the cases of the Republic of Korea (Korea) and Singapore. Heavy smog recurs in Korea and Singapore every year despite various attempts to reduce air pollution through the signing of environmental cooperation agreements and the introduction of domestic measures. While existing scholarship has examined intergovernmental cooperation aimed at mitigating transboundary air pollution, this study focuses on domestic factors affecting policy implementation processes at the national level. How do domestic factors shape governmental policy actions within environmental cooperation agreements in the cases of Korea and Singapore? I employed a process-tracing method to analyze the entanglement of domestic stakeholders from the late 1990s to 2019. By drawing upon domestic politics theory, I find that domestic dynamics, intricately linked to other stakeholders, have limited the effectiveness of policies implemented to address poor air quality. This finding suggests that domestic politics play a critical role in establishing effective regional environmental cooperation in the long run.

Dealing with the Challenge of Climate Change within the Legal Framework of the WTO

Although international trade and climate change regimes are two different fields of international law, they are closely interrelated. In particular, certain domestic environmental policies adopted by States may run afoul of WTO law, thereby having adverse effects on free trade. It has been claimed by critics that non-discrimination principles and subsidies regulations of WTO law constrain its Members’ ability to take certain unilateral actions aimed at climate change mitigation.   According to other commentators, despite the existence of potential conflicts between UNFCCC and WTO regime, there are still synergies which can be developed to bring a greater coherence,  and WTO’s  multilateral framework can serve as a vehicle to facilitate targets of the Paris Agreement.   This paper argues that although sustainable development is recognized by WTO regime and it leaves some scope for climate change actions, its current legal framework does not provide sufficient space for member’s regulatory autonomy in order to take national regulatory policiesAlthough international trade and climate change regimes are two different fields of international law, they are closely interrelated. In particular, certain domestic environmental policies adopted by States may run afoul of WTO law, thereby having adverse effects on free trade. It has been claimed by critics that non-discrimination principles and subsidies regulations of WTO law constrain its Members’ ability to take certain unilateral actions aimed at climate change mitigation.   According to other commentators, despite the existence of potential conflicts between UNFCCC and WTO regime, there are still synergies which can be developed to bring a greater coherence,  and WTO’s  multilateral framework can serve as a vehicle to facilitate targets of the Paris Agreement.   This paper argues that although sustainable development is recognized by WTO regime and it leaves some scope for climate change actions, its current legal framework does not provide sufficient space for member’s regulatory autonomy in order to take national regulatory policies

Conceptual principles of improving the ecological and economic mechanism of rural territory development

The article is devoted to ecological and economic priorities of rural development. The conceptual bases of organizational-economic and ecological mechanisms of rural development are considered. The main ecological and economic factors influencing the development of rural areas are analyzed. The goals and ways to implement the concept of rural development are outlined, which involves assessing the existing problems and obstacles to their effective development. The article proposes an ecological and economic mechanism for the development of rural areas based on the use of forms and methods in the interaction of information, organizational and legal support. Theoretical and methodological principles of improving the ecological and economic mechanism of implementation of the Concept of sustainable development of rural areas are substantiated, on the basis of which effective methods and mechanisms, means, levers and actions of both ecological-economic and organizational-managerial nature will be introduced, which will influence the interests of economic entities in rural areas and promote not only social and economic life in rural areas, but also achieving social well-being and solving urgent environmental problems. The study of the ecological component of rural development has shown the need to take it into account in close connection with the economic and social components of its development in coexistence with the natural environment. Based on this, the main strategic aspects of the development of domestic environmental policy are developed and the components of the conceptual provisions of the strategy of environmentally sustainable development of rural areas are determined, based on ensuring overall environmental safety

Environmental Counterclaims in Investment Treaty Arbitration

Abstract Through design of international investment agreements, foreign investors may bring international claims against the States in which they invest, challenging domestic executive and regulatory measures, including those related to the environment and sustainable development. In contrast, host States are usually limited to defending claims brought against them. The capacity for a host State to bring an independent counterclaim has been tested in only a handful of cases, some of which involved environmental considerations. This article considers those cases and the potential for counterclaims to help enforce national and international objectives related to the environment. It does so by setting out the legal framework for counterclaims by host States, analyzing how jurisdiction, admissibility and causes of action involving environmental obligations under domestic and international law may be satisfied, and the attendant consequences for liability and compensation. It then considers the implications of counterclaims for future investment disputes, given the rapid development of international and domestic environmental law and policy, especially in the context of corporate governance, climate change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Agricultural Trade and Environmental Sustainability

Global agriculture consumes substantial resources and produces significant pollution. By shifting its production to new locations, and inducing changes in technology and input use, trade has a substantial impact on environmental sustainability of the world's food systems, but due to suboptimal environmental policy, the exact nature of these impacts is in dispute. We review the literature on agricultural trade and environmental sustainability, highlighting the different approaches taken in ecology versus economics. While useful in identifying environmental costs, much of the ecological literature does not compare these costs to a trade-free counterfactual and can therefore be misleading. Further, by moving production to places with more resources and increasing production efficiency, trade can reduce the environmental impact of food production. On the other hand, trade can also limit the effectiveness of domestic environmental policy because production can be shifted to countries with less stringent regulations. However, recently, consumers are leveraging trade policy to induce exporters to improve environmental sustainability. While such policies are gaining traction in wealthy countries, evidence suggests that such measures will not reach their potential without buy-in from decision makers in the countries where the environmental damages are occurring.

Környezetpolitikai diskurzus a Kínai Kommunista Párt kongresszusain előadott pártfőtitkári beszámolókban

A tanulmány a kínai környezetpolitikai diskurzust elemzi a Kínai Kommunista Párt ötévente megrendezett kongresszusain előadott pártfőtitkári beszámolókon keresztül. Az írás először röviden szól a kongresszusok fontosságáról és a környezetvédelem történetéről Kínában, majd idézetekkel és fordításokkal alátámasztva bemutatja, hogyan jelenik meg a környezetpolitika és a környezetvédelem a 13–19. pártfőtitkári beszámolókban. Kiderül, hogy a pártfőtitkári beszámolókban a környezetvédelemre a 13. kongresszus óta mindig történik utalás. Ennek terjedelme a környezetvédelmi intézkedések gyakoriságával fokozatosan nőtt, de az is elmondható, hogy a 16. kongresszusig a környezetpolitika súlya a pártfőtitkári beszámolókban nem volt jelentős, külön pontot pedig csak az utóbbi két kongresszuson kapott. A 18. és a 19. kongresszusokon azonban a környezetvédelmi terminusok nemcsak egyre gyakoribbak, de egyre kifinomultabbak is lettek. A kongresszusi nyelvezet és hagyomány folytonosságából és ívéből arra következtethetünk, hogy a környezetvédelem – a 18. és a 19. kongresszusok mintájára – a 20. pártfőtitkári beszámolóban is külön pontot kap majd.

Exporting Pollution: Where Do Multinational Firms Emit CO2?

Abstract Despite widespread awareness of the detrimental impact of CO2 pollution on the world climate, countries vary widely in how they design and enforce environmental laws. Using novel microdata about multinational firms' CO2 emissions across countries, we document that firms headquartered in countries with strict environmental policies perform their polluting activities abroad in countries with relatively weaker policies. These effects are largely driven by tightened environmental policies in home countries that incentivize firms to pollute abroad rather than lenient foreign policies that attract those firms. Although firms headquartered in countries with strict domestic environmental policies are more likely to export pollution to foreign countries, they nevertheless emit somewhat less overall CO2 globally.

O papel da "civilização ecológica" chinesa na nova ordem ambiental internacional: ideias para um mundo pós-COVID

A Construção de uma Civilização Ecológica responde à grave crise ambiental na China e está começando a causar mudanças de paradigma na política ambiental doméstica. No decorrer da pandemia da Covid-19, ficou evidente a ambição geopolítica e importância do país como poder normativo em questões da governança global. Utilizando-se a teoria construtivista, analisa-se a atuação de Pequim em instituições, o estabelecimento de normas nacionais e seu potencial para redefinir a ordem ambiental global. Discutem-se a atuação chinesa em organizações internacionais e eco-compensações para indicar possíveis comportamentos futuros do país na definição de agendas ambientais. Concluímos que a China contribui com visões normativas na área ambiental, principalmente nos países do Sul Global.

MANAGEMENT OF SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP ADAPTATION TO TAX CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTMENT

The article highlights the problem of management of sustainable entrepreneurship adaptation to tax changes in environmental investment and substantiation of the conceptual basis for assessing the efficiency of environmental investment in terms of Ukraine’s integration processes into European community that involves introduction of sustainable economic development and mechanisms of “green” economy. Methods. A study of the peculiarities of environmental financing in Ukraine has been conducted. The theoretical bases of investment management have been examined by means of the following methods: semantic analysis of interaction of the basic elements of environmental investment process for sustainable entrepreneurship development. With the use of a comparative analysis of environmental investment, efficiency and effectiveness of environmental tax collection in Ukraine and the EU countries, the expedience of using environmental taxation as a means of stimulating domestic environmental investment has been substantiated and the need to assess the efficiency of environmental investment has been defined. Results. A study of the peculiarities of domestic environmental taxation in order to establish its efficiency has been carried out. The experience of using taxes as a means of stimulating environmental investment in the EU countries has been under consideration. This research has shown that the efficiency of environmental taxes is ensured by their high rates, which encourage companies to innovate and make appropriate environmental investments. A number of shortcomings in the domestic environmental policy have been identified. It has proven the low efficiency of its instruments, in particular, related to assessing the efficiency of environmental investment. A study of the peculiarities of environmental financing in Ukraine has been conducted. The current tendencies of investment in environmental activities with the identification of causal relationships to substantiate management decisions to improve the use of financial resources for environmental purposes have been highlighted.

International agreements, economic sovereignty and exit

We develop a model in which realisations of an ex ante uncertain domestic policy environment can make it attractive to a sovereign nation to renege on an international agreement. We show, in a fairly general setting in which the likelihood of exit is affected by the degree of cooperation, that the possibility of exit reduces the optimal degree of initial cooperation. “Full” cooperation will never be optimal, and the optimal degree of cooperation will never be such as to “squeeze out” any possibility of exit. However, an increase in global uncertainty may imply an increase in cooperation when exit risks are already large to begin with.

솔레노이드 방식의 Jetting Dispenser 설계 및 성능시험

From the past, productivity improvement has been a problem to be solved, and various methods have been continuously developed. Recently, the demand for electric vehicles has increased along with the domestic and international environmental policies. Researches on the electrode production facilities have been actively conducted to increase the productivity of secondary batteries. Dispensers required for bonding the separator of the secondary battery, the cathode material and the anode material are also increasing in demand. The dispensers that spray a certain amount of adhesive quickly contribute to productivity improvement. However, Piezo type, which is currently being developed and used widely, has a higher performance than some industry, and its more expensive. In this study, we design a dispenser with lower performance than the conventional piezo type and lower the unit price and analyze the results.

Induced innovation in clean energy technologies from foreign environmental policy stringency?

In this paper, we re-conceptualize the meaning of policy-induced innovations in clean technologies by taking a cross-border approach. Previously, empirical research has shown how domestic climate and environmental policies induce firms in the same country to innovate in clean and environmental technologies. This phenomenon has become known as the Porter Hypothesis. However, most research focuses strictly on domestic inducement effects and, if foreign effects are accounted for, they are assumed to be either “knowledge” or “technology” spillovers. We, however, propose that policy spillovers might also induce innovations in other countries. In order to test this hypothesis, we construct a “foreign” environmental policy stringency proxy. This proxy is used as the main explanatory variable, with the outcome variable clean technologies, defined here as all renewable energy technologies as well as electrical energy storage, because these technologies are predominantly defined within the scope of climate and environmental policies as necessary to combat climate change and set forth as paramount to stemming pollutant causing climate change in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change founding documents. Our results show that foreign environmental policy stringency does, indeed, induce clean-technology innovation at home, but this effect varies with different lag structures in our three models.

The Politics of Environment in Ethiopia: The Policies and Practices Appraisal Since 1991

This article analyzes the Ethiopian environmental policy and practices since 1991. This paper employs a set of principles and frameworks that Weimer &Vining developed as grand principles of environmental policy and practices. The review is an attempt to analyze the international environmental engagements of Ethiopia vis-a-vis the domestic environmental policy practices. To properly address the issue, qualitative research approach and content analysis design are employed. The review consulted a multiple of secondary sources from different institutions and organizations. From the bulk of literature and policy documents, Ethiopia is an internationally visible country on environmental campaigns more than countries with better domestic achievements on the environmental protection. Unlike the international political leadership for green economy and environmental protection, the country’s domestic performances are not fully translated due to policy gaps, institutional dissonance and lack of political will and commitment. Hence, the environmental issues of Ethiopia serve the political agenda than the genuine environmental concern. The research implies the following areas of intervention. Namely, (1) the government needs to work on revising policy documents that correct environmental policy inconsistency. (2) It should also enhance the capacity, efficiency and institutional harmony of environmental protection agencies to realize the environmental goals of the country. (3) The government should give a political will and commitment to the domestic environmental issues like its international commitment and visibility.

The Brazilian Federal Government's Role in the Prioritization of EU Foreign Direct Investment and its Environmental Agenda

As a result of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the European Union (EU), the environmental governance structure in Brazil has been challenged, bringing to light a legal ambiguity in the ecological obligations between the EU and Brazil. The article hypothesizes that this legal ambiguity is caused by the complex political and legal system that characterizes the Brazilian governance structure. How does the Brazilian federal government, in its role as policymaker, balance its EU trade agenda? Can it be affirmed that the federal government's capacity as policymaker affects the political convergence between Brazil and the EU? This review will explain the mechanisms in the EU legal framework and its institutions regarding trade and the environment in the strategic relationship between the EU and Brazil. It will further analyze the decision-making process of the federal government as it relates to FDI and environmental policy in Brazil. The research design is based on an analysis of the EU legal framework, of Brazilian neoliberal economic strategy and domestic environmental policy, in order to demonstrate the convergence of political discourses from 2000 to 2013. The data indicates that the EU legal framework and the Brazilian domestic environmental policy put pressure on the federal government to take on the role of facilitator. The findings confirm the literature on the EU legal framework and its manipulation of Brazilian environmental policies. This review expands on these findings inasmuch as the Brazilian federal government allows for a convergence of policies and relationships around environmental obligations in trade thereby creating a stopgap for institutions to act toward environmental regulations.

Exporting Pollution

Despite widespread awareness of the detrimental impact of CO2 pollution on the world climate, countries vary widely in how they design and enforce environmental laws. Using novel microdata about multinational firms’ CO2 emissions across countries, we document that firms headquartered in countries with strict environmental policies perform their polluting activities abroad in countries with relatively weaker policies. These effects are largely driven by tightened environmental policies in home countries that incentivize firms to pollute abroad rather than lenient foreign policies that attract those firms. Although firms headquartered in countries with strict domestic environmental policies are more likely to export pollution to foreign countries, they nevertheless emit somewhat less overall CO2 globally.

Financial impact of wheat quality standards on South African wheat producers: A dynamic linear programming (DLP) approach

ABSTRACTThe South African wheat industry has been under pressure in recent years from global economic instability and a fast-changing domestic policy environment. This has manifested itself in declining wheat production and profitability at the farm level. Wheat quality plays a key role in wheat buying decisions, with quality improvements correlating negatively with yield and, ultimately, productivity. Yet any new wheat cultivar released for commercial production must still meet the standards of the country’s wheat classification system, which has led to wheat sometimes being imported in the face of a domestic shortfall. This situation has inevitably led to tension within the industry and affected both performance and pricing. Using various data sources and a dynamic linear programming (DLP) approach, this paper takes an in-depth look at the link between wheat quality and yield, with a view to determining the impact of wheat quality standards (ceteris paribus) on the profitability of South African wheat producers. Results indicated that were these classification discrepancies removed, the country-wide effect on net farm income is estimated to range between ZAR606 million and ZAR920 million per annum.

Information Exchange and Transnational Environmental Problems

This paper analyzes information exchange in a model of transnational pollution control in which countries use private information in independently determining their domestic environmental policies. We show that countries may not always have an incentive to exchange their private information. However, for a sufficiently high degree of predictability of domestic environmental policy processes, the expected welfare from sharing information is greater than the expected welfare from keeping it private. The minimum degree of policy predictability for which information sharing occurs increases with the level of environmental risk. Intuitively, information exchange can help mitigate the perception of global uncertainty (both political and scientific) that surrounds transnational environmental problems and potentially improve welfare if policymaking processes are sufficiently aligned with evidence-based approaches (predictable).

Environmental Policy and the International Diffusion of Cleaner Energy Technologies

Technology transfer is an important channel of technological change and sustainable development for countries with less innovative ability than technological leaders. This paper studies whether domestic environmental policies affect the inward technology transfer of cleaner innovation from abroad. We focus specifically on the power sector, for its important role in the decarbonization process, by looking at zero-carbon (renewable) and carbon-saving (efficient fossil) technologies for energy production. Using data on cross-country patent applications, we provide evidence that environmental policy contributes to attracting foreign cleaner technology options to OECD markets but not to non-OECD markets. We show that this is due to the nature of the implemented policy instruments. Market-based approaches positively impact technology transfer to both OECD and non-OECD economies, while non-market based approaches have at best only a weak effect in OECD countries. Domestic environmental policies may provide too weak a signal for foreign innovators in countries off the technological frontier. This calls for a strengthening of policy incentives for technology transfer in light of pressing climate change objectives.