Environment, Society and International Relations: Towards More Effective International Agreements

The effectiveness of international environment agreements has so far been studied almost exclusively from an institutional or regime-centric perspective. Such analysis focuses on the actors in agreement-making and downplays the role of the structures and constraiunts within which they operate. Environment, Society and International Relations argues that a distinction must be made effective institutions dealing with environmental problems, and the remedying of an environmental problem. Gabriella Kutting introduces the concept of environmental effectiveness to address this problem, and goes beyond previous studies by not only criticising existing approaches, but actually offering an alternative. Kutting’s approach introduces a new perspective to the effectiveness debate, based on a more holistic methodology and an ecocentric rather than environmental management viewpoint. Based on a critique of regime theory, this book outlines the structures in which agreement-making operates, and demonstrates that a fundamental reassessment of the relationship between environment and society is necessary. Environment, Society and International Relations offers new insights into the study of social organisation and its effect on the environment. It also offers a compelling critique of neoliberal institutionalist thought, which has rarely been presented in such a thorough and convincing way. This ground-breaking volume is an essential resource for researchers and students of International Relations, Environmental Studies and International Political Economy, as well as for policy analysts.