Epistemic communities, constructivism, and international environmental politics

"Epistemic Communities, Constructivism and International Environmental Politics brings together 25 years of publications by Peter M. Haas. The book examines how the world has changed significantly over the last 100 years, discusses the need for new, constructivist scholarship to understand the dynamics of world politics, and highlights the role played by transnational networks of professional experts in global governance. Combining an intellectual history of epistemic communities with theoretical arguments and empirical studies of global environmental conferences, as well as international organizations and comparative studies of international environmental regimes, this book presents a broad picture of social learning on the global scale. In addition to detailing the changes in the international system since the Industrial Revolution, Haas discusses the technical nature of global environmental threats. Providing a critical reading of discourses about environmental security, this book explores governance efforts to deal with global climate change, international pollution control, stratospheric ozone, and European acid rain. With a new general introduction and the addition of introductory pieces for each section, this collection offers a retrospective overview of the author's work and is essential reading for students and scholars of environmental politics, international relations and global politics"--

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction: reconstructing epistemic communities -- PART I Ontology and historical background -- 2 Transnational flows and the transformation of international relations -- 3 The capacity of international institutions to manage Bhopal-like problems -- 4 Introduction: epistemic communities and international policy coordination -- 5 Constructing environmental security from resource scarcity -- PART II Regimes and governance patterns -- 6 Social constructivism and the evolution of multilateral environmental governance -- 7 Prospects for effective marine governance in the NW Pacific region -- Appendix: a letter to the editor -- 8 Epistemic communities and international environmental law -- PART III Institutions and learning -- 9 UN conferences and constructivist governance of the environment -- 10 International institutions and social learning in the management of global environmental risks -- 11 Addressing the global governance deficit -- 12 Learning to learn: improving international governance -- PART IV Effectiveness -- 13 Choosing to comply: theorizing from international relations and comparative politics -- 14 Evaluating the effectiveness of marine governance -- PART V Science policy -- 15 When does power listen to truth? A constructivist approach to the policy process -- 16 Organized science, usable knowledge, and multilateral environmental governance -- PART VI Conclusion -- 17 Promoting knowledge-based international governance for sustainable development -- 18 The global spreading of ideas: social learning and the evolution of multilateral environmental governance -- Index.

"Epistemic Communities, Constructivism and International Environmental Politics brings together 25 years of publications by Peter M. Haas. The book examines how the world has changed significantly over the last 100 years, discusses the need for new, constructivist scholarship to understand the dynamics of world politics, and highlights the role played by transnational networks of professional experts in global governance. Combining an intellectual history of epistemic communities with theoretical arguments and empirical studies of global environmental conferences, as well as international organizations and comparative studies of international environmental regimes, this book presents a broad picture of social learning on the global scale. In addition to detailing the changes in the international system since the Industrial Revolution, Haas discusses the technical nature of global environmental threats. Providing a critical reading of discourses about environmental security, this book explores governance efforts to deal with global climate change, international pollution control, stratospheric ozone, and European acid rain. With a new general introduction and the addition of introductory pieces for each section, this collection offers a retrospective overview of the author's work and is essential reading for students and scholars of environmental politics, international relations and global politics"--