Peter M. Haas - Böcker

The experience of environmental governance is approached in Improving Global Environmental Governance from the unique perspective of actor configuration and embedded networks of actors, which are areas of emerging importance. The chapters look at existing Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and the broader constellation of partially networked institutions to better understand the involvement of individual actors and how to deepen the networks that include them to generate more effective governance.The book covers a wide range of issued pertaining to environmental governance including trans-boundary air pollution, marine pollution, biodiversity and ozone depletion. It also examines partnerships as a hybrid case of emerging modes of environmental governance. These partnerships are a recent form of actor configuration that warrant attention for dealing with global environmental threats in order to better understand the full potential of actor configurations in the absence of state involvement. In order to test applicability to on-going but stalled processes, the book applies the approach to one of the most difficult issues we face: climate change. By addressing key questions in this important area, the book provides new perspectives in the nexus between agency and architecture in environmental governance in the twenty-first century.

The experience of environmental governance is approached in Improving Global Environmental Governance from the unique perspective of actor configuration and embedded networks of actors, which are areas of emerging importance. The chapters look at existing Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and the broader constellation of partially networked institutions to better understand the involvement of individual actors and how to deepen the networks that include them to generate more effective governance.The book covers a wide range of issued pertaining to environmental governance including trans-boundary air pollution, marine pollution, biodiversity and ozone depletion. It also examines partnerships as a hybrid case of emerging modes of environmental governance. These partnerships are a recent form of actor configuration that warrant attention for dealing with global environmental threats in order to better understand the full potential of actor configurations in the absence of state involvement. In order to test applicability to on-going but stalled processes, the book applies the approach to one of the most difficult issues we face: climate change. By addressing key questions in this important area, the book provides new perspectives in the nexus between agency and architecture in environmental governance in the twenty-first century.

The increasing complexity of the world's problems has escalated both the need for international policy co-ordination and the difficulty of achieving it. With that in mind, the contributors to this volume assess what happens to the distribution of power when policymakers rely on the counsel of technical experts to make decisions of international importance. Because the way states identify and respond to problems depends not only on how policymakers understand the issues but also on how the issues are represented by their advisers, the contributors examine the growing role that epistemic communities play in several areas: facilitating governmental learning; articulating the cause-and-effect relationships of global problems; helping to discern state interests; framing the issues for collective debate; proposing specific policies; and identifying salient points for international negotiation.

Debate style readers can be powerful teaching tools, but they are only effective in so far as the readings really speak to one another. Without readings in true dialogue, the crux of the debate is lost on students, the reader fails to add real depth to the course, and students are left in the lurch. Controversies in Globalization solves this issue by inviting 17 pairs of scholars and practitioners to write specifically for the volume, directly addressing current and relevant questions in international relations through concise "yes" and "no" pieces on topics related to security, political economy, the environment, public health, democracy, demography, and social issues like gender and ethnicity. At the request of reviewers, new to this edition are three chapters covering the financial crisis, maritime security, and international conflict. Providing students with necessary context, the editors offer introductions that effectively frame the debate and make clear what is at stake, both from a theoretical as well as from a practical perspective. Concluding discussion questions in each chapter encourage critical thinking and analysis. Haas and Hird's edited collection helps readers come to terms with the varying perspectives on globalization, and urges critical reflection and the exploration of alternate views.