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Environmental Governance and Institutions
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:05:29
Abstract
The course discusses the concept and theory of governance and its relevance for environmental policy issues. Students get acquainted with the key elements of environmental governance such as participatory processes, networking, effectiveness and efficiency, muliti-level governance, decentralization etc. The degree of actual application of these elements in current policies is analyzed.
Objective
The students understand the concept and theory of governance and its adaptation to environmental policy issues. They are able to explain the change from government to governance and its relevance for public environmental policies. The students know the key elements of environmental governance, their theoretical backgrounds and interfaces and their relevance in different political, economic and cultural contexts. They have the ability to apply the theoretical requirements of environmental governance to processes and contents of different environmental policies at different levels and in different countries.
Content
An increase in environmental quality and a sustainable use and management of natural resources cannot be achieved through technical solutions alone. Environmental outcomes are strongly affected by human behavior. This behavior crucially depends on existing institutions (defined as formal and informal rules of a society). The formulation and implementation of these rules vary across temporal and local scales. In politics currently a change from government to governance can be observed. The concept of governance represents both an anylytical and a normative approach. It contains as principal element the change from a hierarchic steering to a more a deliberating and participatory style of politics. In order to improve political outputs, new elements such as the choice of market-based instruments, the horizontal and vertical co-ordination of policies (integrated strategies and multi-level governance), the institutionalised monitoring and evaluation of policies, the decentralisation of decision making and implementation etc. are gaining importance. These key elements of governance presently dominate the discussion on “what is a good environmental policy”. Together with the concept of sustainability, environmental governance provides a strong analytical and normative framework for analyzing and shaping environmental policies at different levels. The course combines the theoretical basics of environmental governance (first part of the semester) and its application in different policies at different levels (second part of the semester) and applies different methods of social sciences (particularly political science, economics, and law).
Resources
Lecture Notes
A script is not yet available, but is planned for the next course in 2007/08.
Literature
Selected literature - Durant, R. F., Fiorino, D. J., and R. O’Leary (eds.), (2004), Environmental Governance Reconsidered, MIT Press - Kettl, D. F. (ed.) (2002), Environmental Governance, Brookings Institution Press - Mayntz, R. (2003), From Government to Governance: Political Steering in Modern Societies“, paper presented at the Summer Academy on IPP in Würzburg, September 7-11 2003, 12 p. - Pierre,J. and Peters, G. (2005), Governing Complex Societies (Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Easrbourne) - Rhodes, R.A.W. (2000), “Governance and Public Administration”, In Pierre, J. (ed.), Debating Governance: Authority, Steering, and Democracy (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 54 – 90 - Rhodes, R.W.A. (2003), “What is New about Governance and Why does it Matter?”, in Hayward, J.E.S. and Menon, A. (eds), Governing Europe, Oxford:Oxford University Press), 61 -73 - Stoker, G. (1989), “Governance as Theory: Five Positions”, International Social Science Journal, 50 (1998) 155: 17 – 28 - Weiss, T. G. (2000), “Governance, Good Governance and Global Governance: Conceptual and Actual Challenges”, Third World Quarterly 21 (2000) 5: 795 - 814
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DS , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Environmental governance and institutions |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Anthroposphere (Weitere Lehrveranstaltungen nach freier Wahl in Absprache mit dem Fachberater)
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