Institutions and Environmental Change: Principal Findings, Applications, and Research Frontiers

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This overview of recent research on how institutions matter in tackling environmental problems reports the findings and policy implications of a decade-long international research project.Studies show that institutions play a role both in causing and in addressing problems arising from human-environment interactions. But the nature of this role is complex and not easily described. This book presents an overview of recent research on how institutions matter in efforts to tackle such environmental problems as the loss of biological diversity, the degradation of forests, and the overarching issue of climate change. Using the tools of the "new institutionalism" in the social sciences, the book treats institutions as sets of rights, rules, and decision-making procedures. Individual chapters present research findings and examine policy implications regarding questions of causality, performance, and institutional design as well as the themes of institutional fit (or misfit), interplay, and scale. Institutions and Environmental Change is the product of a decade-long international research project on the Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (IDGEC) carried out under the auspices of the International Human Dimensions Programme. The book's policy insights demonstrate that research on institutions can provide the basis for practical advice on effective ways to deal with the most pressing environmental problems of our times. Contributors Frank Biermann, Carl Folke, Victor Galaz, Thomas Gehring, Joyeeta Gupta, Thomas Hahn, Leslie A. King, Ronald B. Mitchell, Sebastian Oberth r, Per Olsson, Heike Schroeder, Uno Svedin, Simon Tay, Arild Underdal, Oran R. Young

Reviews

"21st century environmental problems can't be solved with 20th century bureaucracies. The contributors to Institutions and Environmental Change have identified the key societal challenge facing governments at the onset of the 21st century. While many environmentalists point to 'tipping points' of global environmental change, the authors in this volume search for and identify bureaucratic 'choke points' that serve to block necessary institutional change. This book will be a clarion call for governments and practitioners worldwide trying to address growing climate and climate-related crises."--Michael H. Glantz, Senior Scientist, The National Center for Atmospheric Research "This project report from the Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Project is exciting, important, and at the forefront of research. The editors provide an excellent theoretical overview backed up with strong empirical evidence. It is addressed to a broad group of social scientists, ecologists, and environmental scientists interested in environmental change. A wonderful achievement."--Elinor Ostrom, Co-Director, Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University -- Elinor Ostrom

Author Bio

Oran R. Young is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of Institutional Dynamics- Emergent Patterns in International Environmental Governance (MIT Press) and other books. Leslie A. King is Vice President, Academic, and Provost at Vancouver Island University. Heike Schroeder is Tyndall Research Fellow in the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University's Centre for the Environment. Oran R. Young is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of Institutional Dynamics- Emergent Patterns in International Environmental Governance (MIT Press) and other books. Arild Underdal is Professor of Political Science at the University of Oslo. Ronald B. Mitchell is Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Oregon. Oran R. Young is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of Institutional Dynamics- Emergent Patterns in International Environmental Governance (MIT Press) and other books. Thomas Gehring is Professor of International Politics and European Integration at Otto-Friedrich University Bamberg. Sebastian Oberth r is Academic Director of the Institute for European Studies at Free University Brussels and the coeditor (with Thomas Gehring) of Institutional Interaction in Global Environmental Governance- Synergy and Conflict among International and EU Policies (MIT Press, 2006) Heike Schroeder is Tyndall Research Fellow in the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University's Centre for the Environment. Leslie A. King is Vice President, Academic, and Provost at Vancouver Island University. Frank Biermann is Research Professor of Global Sustainability Governance with the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University and the author of Earth System Governance- World Politics in the Anthropocene (MIT Press).