All Policies are Glocal: International Enviromental Policymaking with Strategic Subnational Governments

British Journal of Political Science (Forthcoming)

34 Pages Posted: 4 Apr 2011 Last revised: 30 Sep 2013

See all articles by Michael M. Bechtel

Michael M. Bechtel

Washington University in St. Louis

Johannes Urpelainen

Johns Hopkins SAIS

Date Written: May 28, 2013

Abstract

National governments have intensified their attempts to create international institutions in various policy fields such as environment, finance, and trade. At the same time, many subnational policymakers have begun to duplicate international efforts by setting their own, stricter policies while others remain inactive or enact more lax regulation. This "glocalization" of policy creates a complex and economically costly patchwork system of regulations. To shed light on this phenomenon we analyze the interaction between subnational and national governments within a general model of international treaty negotiations. The glocalization of regulatory policy can be understood as an attempt by subnational policymakers to strategically constrain or empower national governments in international negotiations. We find that the shadow of international treaty formation gives rise to within-country and cross-country policy balancing dynamics that may explain some of the subnational policy polarization currently observable in many countries. We specify the conditions under which they occur, spell out empirically testable hypotheses, and identify possible theoretical extensions.

Keywords: International agreements, international negotiations, environmental policy, climate policy, subnational policymaking,

JEL Classification: D78, K32, P16

Suggested Citation

Bechtel, Michael M. and Urpelainen, Johannes, All Policies are Glocal: International Enviromental Policymaking with Strategic Subnational Governments (May 28, 2013). British Journal of Political Science (Forthcoming), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1791376 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1791376

Michael M. Bechtel (Contact Author)

Washington University in St. Louis ( email )

Campus Box 1063
One Brookings Drive
Saint Louis, MO 63130-4899
United States

Johannes Urpelainen

Johns Hopkins SAIS ( email )

1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036-1984
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
241
Abstract Views
1,448
Rank
230,645
PlumX Metrics