International Environmental Agreements: A Survey of Their Features, Formation and Effects
Author(s)
Mitchell, Ronald B.
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 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 commitments – “matters.”
