The States Come Marching In: Examining State Agency Influence on Federal Rules

Amidst congressional gridlock, administrative rulemaking is the main pathway for environmental policy making. Scholars have assessed the role of the institutions of government (the president, Congress, and the courts) and key interest groups (i.e., business and environmental interests) in shaping rulemaking outcomes. What is missing from this literature is an assessment of the role of key implementers, state environmental agencies. This research fills this gap by assessing the role and impact of state government agencies in three case studies of rulemaking at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Based on original interviews and a public comment analysis, this research suggests that state agencies play an active and influential role in EPA rulemaking. And, in some cases, state agencies wield more influence than other interest groups. Interviewees argued that this influence stems from these agencies’ unique voice as an implementation collaborator. As a result, researchers should incorporate an assessment of the role of these interests to more effectively explain regulatory outcomes at the EPA and potentially across the bureaucracy.     

Transparency in multilateral climate politics: Furthering (or distracting from) accountability?

This article analyzes the interplay between transparency and accountability in multilateral climate politics. The 2015 Paris Agreement calls for a “pledge‐and‐review” approach to collective climate action with an “enhanced transparency framework” as a key pillar of the Agreement. By making visible who is doing what, transparency is widely assumed to be vital to holding countries to account and building trust. We explore whether transparency is generating such effects in this context, by developing and applying an analytical framework to examine the link between transparency and accountability. We find that the scope and practices of climate transparency reflect (rather than necessarily reduce) broader conflicts over who should be held to account to whom and about what, with regard to responsibility and burden sharing for ambitious climate action. We conclude that the relationship between transparency and accountability is less straightforward than assumed, and that the transformative promise of transparency needs to be reconsidered in this light.     

Factors affecting the sustainability of a community water supply project in Kenya

This paper examines how three sustainability factors (water supply, regulatory policy, local management) are affecting the sustainability of a community water supply project in Kenya. Findings show that after 10 years the project is at a threshold of sustainability – it may yet fail. Changing rainfall patterns and additional withdrawals from new projects are threatening available water supply. The community is resisting compliance with water sector reforms including those intended to benefit community-managed projects. Community management deficiencies and a lack of supportive external relationships are impeding project continuity and sustainable local water management.     

气候变化的损害赔偿与国家责任问题研究

气候变化引发气候灾害,给人类已经或必将造成巨大威胁。气候变化的损害具有传统跨界环境损害所不具备的特征,由此引起的国家责任问题也具有其特殊性。国家责任的构成要件——国家行为的不法性、谨慎行事的注意义务标准、损害的可预见性及其对责任的限制功能、因果关系及其证明责任分配在气候变化的损害赔偿问题均需要被重新审视,甚至重构。国家责任的承担方式——金钱补偿和精神安慰在气候变化的损害赔偿语境下仍有其可适用性,但恢复原状的责任形式则无法适用。特别对纯粹的生态损害的赔偿更是如此。由于气候变化的损害赔偿领域国家实践和国际判例至为罕见,因而对传统国家责任法的理论改造与制度创新刻不容缓。     

东北亚战略安全新变化与中国和平发展的理性思考

东北亚战略安全新变化根源于东北亚战略结构的演变。东北亚战略安全新变化导致中国维护国家安全压力增大,面临不同意识形态挑战的压力持续上升,与周边国家合作成本增加,国家合作将更加困难。中国维护东北亚战略安全必须以包容性增长为东北亚战略安全合作发展的前提条件;确保中国经济社会的稳定与发展是维护东北亚战略安全的基础;和平解决朝核危机,维护朝鲜半岛安全是维护东北亚战略安全的关键;发展睦邻友好关系,稳定周边环境是维护东北亚战略安全的必然选择;积极倡导探索建立新的安全合作机制是维护东北亚战略安全的最终归宿。     

核事故、能源结构调整与国际气候合作

福岛核事故将对各国能源结构调整和国际气候合作产生重大影响。从短中期来看,部分国家将对核能产业实施紧缩政策,化石能源比重可能增加,在国际气候合作中作出积极减排承诺的意愿也将降低,国际气候合作可能继续陷于僵局之中。在可预见的未来,人类需要通过追求核能安全来维护能源安全和气候安全。     

Building pathways out of poverty through climate smart agriculture and effective targeting

One focus of agricultural development is climate smart agricultural technologies and practices (CSA). Development practitioners invest in scaling these to have wider impact. Ineffective targeting stymies CSA’s contribution to poverty reduction by excluding many of the poor and/or including those for whom agriculture is not a pathway out of poverty. This viewpoint proposes the need to recognise differentiated livelihood pathways within smallholder agriculture, linked to farmers’ differential capacity to engage in climate risk management. A farmer and livelihoods typology provides a framework to improved targeting of CSA and to identifying where alternative interventions, such as social protection, are more appropriate.     

全球能源治理的功利主义和全球主义

在应对气候变化和能源安全的大背景下,能源国际合作和竞争都是国际体系内的突出现象。2012年以来,中国的风电和光伏产业连续遭受欧美反倾销等制裁。新能源领域逐渐成为中美经贸摩擦的重要领域。这些事件背后的意图不仅是因为中国新能源产业发展已经影响到有关发达国家的核心发展战略和竞争力,而且折射出更深层次的问题是国家之间围绕新能源发展主导权的争夺日趋激烈。全球化和相互依存关系正在加深对国际合作的需求,并为国际合作创造了更多的机会。在应对全球能源环境挑战中,世界各国既有全球主义下的合作也有功利主义下的竞争。面对这种形势,中国的能源外交政策应该包括全球能源治理、国际交流对话、双边合作等三个方面。中国要倡导能源全球主义的发展理念,通过合作共赢参与和塑造国际能源体系,积极推动全球合作才可能实现真正的和平发展及全球能源的共同安全。     

国家政权建设与居委会行政化的历史变迁——基于“国家与社会”视角的考察

国家政权建设,是国家政权的科层化与理性化程度不断提高,以及在破除国家整体论,迈向多层级、具体化国家基础上的对社会渗透与引领不断强化的过程。研究通过对建国以来居委会产生、发展、曲折与扭曲、改革与完善过程“知识系谱”的历史检视,发现居委会行政化与现代国家政权建设的过程是“同频共振”的。在居民委员会发展的不同阶段,国家通过政权建设的逻辑、革命的逻辑以及改革的逻辑实现了对居委会的不断渗透与控制,呈现出强国家与弱社会下基层的政治动员与国家与社会的一体化策略,国家统合社会中革命的传统与基层治理的失序运行,以及国家渗透与社会成长中国家与社会治理空间的转换与变迁。本质上是国家政权建设逻辑在基层社区中的展演与映射。