Prof. Ronald Mitchell Time: T-Th 2:00-3:20 (Winter 2008) Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 11:30-1:00 Classroom: 16 Pacific // CRN: 24405/24413 Office: PLC-921 Phone: 346-4880; Email: rmitchel@uoregon.edu Course website via Blackboard
Increasingly, nations cannot solve their environmental problems through unilateral action and domestic policy alone. Governments, nongovernmental organizations, and editorial pundits frequently proclaim the need for international solutions to environmental problems ranging from preserving wetlands and wildlife to protecting the global atmosphere. In some issue areas, nations have signed aggressive international treaties, but in others, they have not. Although environmental problems certainly -- and, we hope, their solutions -- will continue to increase in number and importance in the future, solutions to many existing international environmental problems provide us with experience with which to better understand the types of solutions available, the processes by which they can be created, and how effective those solutions have been at solving environmental problems.
This course starts by outlining five perspectives on why environmental problems arise and how we can solve them. It then explores three processes of international policy development: identifying problems, designing and negotiating solutions, and implementing policies to change national behavior. We will use case studies to develop our understandings of these processes. We will ask questions such as: What conditions help countries negotiate treaties to resolve problems? What types of rules work best to induce compliance? How do we evaluate whether a treaty has been effective or successful? How do nations improve treaty effectiveness over time? In short, we want to identify the sorts of agreements that will help the nations of the world solve their environmental problems.
These questions require careful attention to causal analysis, i.e., to showing that one or more factors caused the outcome we observe and that absent that factor, the observed outcome would not have occurred. Thus, a major element of this course will require that you identify and skeptically evaluate all causal claims (your own, mine, and those of authors you read) regarding environmental problems. For example, this will require being initially dubious of claims that the International Whaling Commission has been responsible for fewer whales being killed since 1980, that growing scientific knowledge was caused signature of the ozone protection treaty, or that treaties ever influence behavior. I hope that developing your ability to think causally will be this course's most important contribution to your education.
Word of warning: Almost all past students who have taken this course have found the course itself -- and particularly the final paper -- to be quite difficult. Most students also find the course, in the end, rewarding. Be aware that the requirements to do well in this course are quite demanding.
If you must make choices, place higher priority on Mitchell and the E-Reserves, and less priority on Conca. Readings are intended as another source for information about international environmental politics -- they are additional to (rather than redundant with) class lectures. I welcome students raising issues from the readings in class.
Attend and participate in class. Those who ask questions and make comments will get better grades. Unfortunately, shy people cannot waive this requirement. Even if you are shy, please speak up several times during the term.
Read the websites on plagiarism and the full assignment pack and come in with any questions you have about either.
Write two essays responding to a brief question regarding the reading and the material in lecture. The one on the Tragedy of the Commons is worth 10% and the other on the Relative Effectiveness of Regimes is worth 20%.
There are three assignments related to developing the argument of your final paper for the course. Their main value lies in providing you with feedback that will help you improve the final paper you write.
Write a research paper of 20 double-spaced pages (25-30 for grads) evaluating whether a particular environmental treaty has been effective at improving the problem that motivated its creation. Details in assignment pack.
Late assignments will lose 2 points per day. Thus, an assignment that is 0-24 hours late would have 2 of 100 points deducted, one that is 25-48 hours late would have 4 of 100 points deducted, etc.
I will give up to 10 extra points on the final paper (i.e., up to 4 extra points on the course grade) to students who identify a data set not identified on the course data webpage. I will grade all papers and then give additional points for those who identify new data sources. To receive extra credit, you must come to office hours and discuss it first. Requirements and allocation of extra credit points:
By enrolling in this course, you agree to abide by the University’s Student Conduct Code. You must read http://studentlife.uoregon.edu/StudentConductandCommunityStandards/ConductCode/tabid/69/Default.aspx, http://libweb.uoregon.edu/guides/plagiarism/students/ & http://www.uoregon.edu/~eherman/writing/Plagiarism.htm. Reading and understanding these documents is an ungraded requirement for the course that you MUST complete by the end of week 1. Everything in your assignments must be your own work. Neither ignorance of these policies nor the lack of an intention to cheat or plagiarize will be considered a legitimate defense. Raise any questions you have with the professor before problems arise. I will flunk any student who plagiarizes and will report them to University authorities -- I have done so at least twice in the past few years.
Noted without comment: "Michael Hand 'earned' a Ph.D. in counseling psychology at New Mexico State University in 1982. In the Fall of 1987 an anonymous tipster sent to the University a copy of two scholarly sources that Hand had plagiarized in his dissertation. In April 1988, the University rescinded the Ph.D. it had awarded to Hand. Hand v. Matchett, 957 F.2d 791 (10thCir. 1992)" [Ronald B. Standler. 2000. Plagiarism in Colleges in USA Available at: http://www.rbs2.com/plag.htm, downloaded 20060615].
Introduction (continued)
PLAGIARISM ASSIGNMENT: Read websites on plagiarism (see p.2 of syllabus) and read whole assignment packet. This will clarify expectations of the course and its level of difficulty. You will be assumed to have read and fully understood what plagiarism is and how to avoid it from this point on.
Mitchell, Chapter 1. "Three Decades of Global Environmental Politics" in Conca ch. Intro. Mitchell, Ronald B. 2002a. International environment. In Handbook of International Relations, edited by Walter
Carlsnaes, Thomas Risse, and Beth Simmons, 500-16. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. E-Reserves Rec'd: Kennan, George F. 1970. To prevent a world wasteland: a proposal. Foreign Affairs 48:2 (April), 401-413. E-Reserves
Identifying the influence of policy solutions: preparing for your paper
These readings are crucial for understanding the final paper requirements and for doing a good job in evaluating the treaty you choose to study. You should read these for this class but also re-read them several times during the term. Online article: UnintendedConsequences-PortlandTribuneArticle.doc on how intentions and outcomes don’t always match Mitchell, Chapter 2. Mitchell, Ronald B. and Thomas Bernauer. 1998. Empirical research on international environmental policy:
designing qualitative case studies. Journal of Environment and Development 7 (1):4-31. E-Reserves Jacobson, Harold K., and Edith Brown Weiss. 1998a. A framework for analysis. In Engaging countries, edited by Edith Brown Weiss and Harold K. Jacobson. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1-18. E-Reserves
Jacobson, Harold K., and Edith Brown Weiss. 1998b. Assessing the record and designing strategies to engage countries. In Engaging countries, edited by Edith Brown Weiss and Harold K. Jacobson. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 511-554. E-Reserves
Ecophilosophical, and Political Perspectives
Mitchell, Chapter 3. Donella H. Meadows, et. al., "Limits to Growth," in Conca ch. 01. Ken Conca, "Rethinking the Ecology-Sovereignty Debate," in Conca ch. 06.
Economic and Legal Perspectives
DISCUSSION PAPER: "Tragedy of the Commons" due at beginning of class (< 1500 words – provide a word count). See Assignment Packet for description.
Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons," in Conca ch. 03. Susan J. Buck, "No Tragedy of the Commons," in Conca ch. 04. Rec'd: William Ophuls, "The Scarcity Society," in Conca ch. 05.
We will simulate the Tragedy of the Commons online during class. Prepare your strategy BEFORE class. Start by playing the "Optimizing a Private Farm" game on the website. During the in-class game, you will decide how many cows you want to put on a commons to which all other students have access. Your goal is to maximize the milk your
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cows produce (so you can share that milk with homeless people). What strategy will you use to ensure that you and the rest of the class do not overgraze the commons? How will you convince others to adopt your strategy? What should you do in the meantime to make sure you still can give milk to homeless people this year?
PROCESSES OF INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Problem Identification and the Role of Science In Policy Making
TREATY ASSIGNMENT #1: due beginning of class.
Mitchell, Chapter 4. Mitchell, Ronald B., William C. Clark, David W. Cash, and Nancy Dickson, eds. 2006. Global environmental assessments: information and influence. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Ch. 1. E-Reserves Tesh, Sylvia N. and Bruce A. Williams. 1996. Identity politics, disinterested politics, and environmental justice.
Polity 18:285-305. E-Reserves Sheila Jasanoff , "Skinning Scientific Cats" in Conca ch. 16. Rec'd: Skim the IPCC Executive Summary. http://www.ipcc.ch/ . E-Reserves
Science for Sustainability
Lubchenco, Jane. 1998. Entering the century of the environment: a new social contract for science. Science 279:491-7. E-Reserves Vitousek, Peter M., Harold A. Mooney, Jane Lubchenco, and Jerry M. Melillo. 1997. Human domination of earth's
ecosystems. Science 277 (5325):494-9. E-Reserves Kates, Robert W., et al. 2001. Sustainability Science. Science 292 (5517):641-2. E-Reserves Rec'd: World Commission on Environment & Development, "Towards Sustainable Development," in Conca ch. 22. Rec'd: Larry Lohman, "Whose Common Future?" in Conca ch. 23. Initial discussion on writing final paper and conducting a good causal evaluation of a treaty's influence.
Re-read Mitchell and Bernauer from Week 2 readings, think about causal questions and feedback from professor, and come in with questions prepared. This should help you prepare over the weekend for the next assignment of Outline and Graph of DV, and get started on your paper.
Problem Identification and the Role of Nongovernmental Actors
Paul Wapner, "Politics Beyond the State: Environmental Activism and World Civic Politics" in Conca ch. 11. Ethirajan Anbarasan, "Kenya's Green Militant: An Interview with Wangari Muta Maathai," in Conca ch. 09. Rec'd: Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Peoples' Organizations of the Amazon Basin, "Two Agendas for Amazon Development," in Conca ch. 32. Rec'd: Chico Mendes, "Fight for the Forest," in Conca ch. 08.
Negotiation Theory
United Nations Environment Programme, "Multilateral Environmental Agreements: A Summary," in Conca ch. 12. Sprinz, Detlef and Tapani Vaahtoranta. 1994. The interest-based explanation of international environmental policy. International Organization 48 (1):77-105. E-Reserves Corell, Elisabeth and Michele M. Betsill. 2007. "Analytical Framework: Assessing the influence of NGO
diplomats" in forthcoming book with MIT Press. E-Reserves Rec'd: James Speth, "Perspective on the Johannesburg Summit," in Conca ch. 13. Rec'd: Henri Acselrad, et al., "Excerpt from the Jo'burg Memo," in Conca ch. 15.
Negotiation Practice
Mitchell, Chapter 5. Haas, Peter M. 1992. Banning chlorofluorocarbons. International Organization, 46 (1): 187-224. E-Reserves
Case Study – Relative Regime Effectiveness: Whaling and Ozone Protection
DISCUSSION PAPER: "Relative Effectiveness" due at beginning of class (< 1500 words – provide a word count). See Assignment Packet for description.
I have provided more extensive readings than usual to help you prepare your discussion paper:
Peterson, M. J. 1992. Whalers, cetologists, environmentalists and the international management of whaling. International Organization 46 (1):147-86. E-Reserves
Walsh, Virginia. 1999. Illegal Whaling for Humpbacks by the Soviet Union in the Antarctic, 1947-1972. Journal of Environment and Development 8 (3):307-27. E-Reserves
Grundmann, Reiner. 1998. The strange success of the Montreal Protocol: why reductionist accounts fail. International Environmental Affairs 10 (3):197-220. E-Reserves
Clapp, Jennifer. 1997. The Illegal CFC Trade: An Unexpected Wrinkle in the Ozone Protection Regime. International Environmental Affairs 9 (4):259-73. E-Reserves
Graph of Montreal Protocol CFC Consumption and requirements - E-Reserves
Graph of Whaling Convention quotas and kills - E-Reserves
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling text and Secretariat - E-Reserves
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer text and Montreal Protocol text and Secretariat - E-Reserves
Illegal Trade in Ozone Depleting Substances (UNEP 2001) - E-Reserves
Compliance Theory
Mitchell, Chapter 6. Mitchell, Ronald B. 2007. Compliance theory: compliance, effectiveness, and behavior change in international environmental law. In Oxford handbook of international environmental law, edited by J. Brunee, D. Bodansky and
E. Hey. Cambridge: Oxford University Press. 893-921. E-Reserves Rec'd: Nancy Lee Peluso, "Coercing Conservation," in Conca ch. 33.
Free Trade and the Environment
TREATY ASSIGNMENT #2: due beginning of class. This should involve graphing your data and making an initial effort to explain what you see.
Vaughan, Scott. 2003. "The Greenest Trade Agreement Ever? Measuring the Environmental Impacts of Agricultural Liberalization." 61-87. E-Reserves Logsdon, Jeanne M., and Bryan W. Husted. 2000. Mexico's environmental performance under NAFTA: the first 5 years. Journal of Environment and Development 9 (4):370-383. E-Reserves Rec'd: Daniel Esty, "Environment and the Trading System," in Conca ch. 18.
Environment and Security
Thomas Homer-Dixon, "Environmental Scarcities and Violent Conflict: Evidence from Cases," in Conca ch. 27. Daniel Deudney, "The Case Against Linking Environmental Degradation and National Security," in Conca ch. 28. Somaya Saad, "For Whose Benefit? Redefining Security," in Conca ch. 30. Rec'd: Adil Najam, "The Human Dimensions of Environmental Insecurity" in Conca ch. 29.
Sustainable Development
TREATY ASSIGNMENT #3: due beginning of class.
João Augusto de Araujo Castro, "Environment and Development: Case of Developing Countries," in Conca ch. 02. Sharachchandra M. Lélé, "Sustainable Development: A Critical Review," in Conca ch. 24. Bjorn Stigson, "The Business Case for Sustainable Development" in Conca ch. 25.
Population
Re-read first few pages of Mitchell, Chapter 3. Daily, Ehrlich, and Ehrlich. 1994. Optimum Population Size. Population & Environment 15(6): 469-475. E-Reserves
Gita Sen, "Women, Poverty, and Population: Issues for the Concerned Environmentalist," in Conca ch. 34. United Nations Population Fund. "Footprints and Milestones," in Conca ch. 35. Population control is good but even Sierra Club won’t take it up: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/09/14/AR2009091403308_pf.html
Rec'd: "Baby levy to combat carbon emissions". E-Reserves Rec'd: "Parents should pay climate change tax on extra kids". E-Reserves
Climate Change, Part 1
Alley, Richard B. 2004. "Abrupt Climate Change" Scientific American 62-69. E-Reserves
Oreskes, Naomi. 2007. The scientific consensus on climate change: how do we know we’re not wrong? In Climate change, edited by J. F. C. DiMento and P. Doughman. Cambridge: MIT Press. 65-99.E-Reserves Boykoff, Maxwell and Boykoff, Jules. 2004. "Balance as Bias: Global Warming and the US Prestige Press" Global
Environmental Change 14: 125-136. E-Reserves
Climate Change, Part 2
McCright, Aaron M., and Riley E. Dunlap. 2003. Defeating Kyoto: the conservative movement's impact on US climate change policy. Social Problems 50:348-373. E-Reserves Parks, Bradley C., and J. Timmons Roberts. 2006. Globalization, vulnerability to climate change, and perceived injustice. Society and Natural Resources 19 (4):337-355. E-Reserves Rec'd: Other Readings for Climate Change Class: Links on course website
CONCLUSIONS
WEEK 10: THURSDAY, MARCH 11:
The Future of Global Environmental Governance – Problems we will face and Solutions we will have
Mitchell, Chapter 7.
FINAL PAPER DUE at the beginning of class on March 11th. NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED!