Assessing the effectiveness of international environmental institutions

Abstract

In the pages of this column we have tried to explore the various ways in which the term institution can be defined and interpreted in light of the contemporary social challenge of global environmental change. International regimes are one important type of international institution whose purpose is to coordinate the activities of states and other actors. Scholars of international relations regard regimes as sets of rules, norms, procedures and programmes which prescribe appropriate forms of behaviour and promote the achievement of collective goals. As Marc Levy demonstrates in the analysis which follows, regimes are now sufficiently varied in topic and practice that good comparative studies can be undertaken to assess just what type and format are likely to be best for a fairer and more efficacious international environmental agreement. Given the relative recency of major regimes and the huge variety of circumstances in which they are expected to work, this research effort has been impressive and timely. But an effective regime is only as good as the willingness of the parties to make it so. Up to a point, that willingness can be engendered by the regime creation process itself. But only up to a point. Effective international environmental governance still relies on compliant states and far-seeking stakeholders who hold the trump cards.