Political Science Theses and Dissertations

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Seizing the Opportunity: Climate Politics in the Developing World
(University of Oregon, 2016-10-27) Chen, Meian; Mitchell, Ronald
My research asks how and why some developing countries have adopted ambitious climate policies, while others have not. As developing countries have no international obligations and little domestic public support for undertaking climate change action, it is puzzling to see them taking substantial steps to counteract global warming. I argue that such policies are due to a strong pro-climate policy group, which arises because of the interaction of international institutions and a shift in domestic politics. Specifically, international institutions helped to cultivate a pro-climate policy group through international socialization and economic incentives between the late 1990s and early 2000s. The changes in domestic politics after the mid-2000s, particularly policy decision makers’ rising energy and environmental concerns, strengthened the power of the pro-climate policy group. Due to the interplay of international institutions and the development of domestic actors, the pro-climate policy group was able to advance their interests in climate policymaking process and advocated for a proactive climate policy.