Institutional Arrangements and Forms of Coordination of Action in the Multi-level System of the United States (2000)

The relationship between the policy levels in the U.S. multi-level system can be characterized by three types: firstly, central regulation, i.e. the hierarchical coordination of the policy levels. Secondly, decentral regulation comprising the regulatory competition as well as the emergence of horizontal joint-decision systems between the states. Both forms lose importance as a third type, multi-level regulation, becomes prevalent. Two variants of these novel institutional arrangements, which are superior to both other types of regulation, are described. On the one hand, the competition between the policy levels is stimulated by a combination of hierarchical elements with the regulative competition between the states, e.g. by setting national minimum standards. On the other hand, a change of the intergovernmental relations between the federal government and the states can be observed fostering the emergence of vertical joint-decision systems. The U.S. development shows that hierarchical elements are hardly dispensable when institutional arrangements are combined. Moreover, it can be noticed that dynamic policy developments can result not only from the regulative competition between states but also from the competition between policy levels.

Political Institutions and Environmental Policy Innovations in Switzerland – Air and Soil Pollution Control Policy in Cross-national Compariative Perspective (2000)

The article focuses on the influence of political-institutional factors on the innovation capacity of Swiss environmental policy. It begins with an investigation of the effects on environmental policy of factors such as corporatism, country size, federalism, and direct democracy. It then proceeds from an international comparative perspective, examining the degree to which air pollution control and soil protection have been institutionalized, with special emphasis on national differences in diffusion patterns; this is followed by an analysis of the institutionalization of environmental policy in Switzerland. In terms of its environmental quality, Switzerland is considered an environmental policy success case, but, with respect to developing and adopting environmental policy innovations, the country ranks only among the “middle field” or counts even as a “latecomer”. The article concludes inter alia that Switzerland’s environmental policy innovation capacity could be increased by targeted further development of Swiss federalism.

The Diffusion of Environmental Policy Innovations. A Contribution to the Globalization of Environmental Policy (2000)

The subject of this paper is the importance of the diffusion of environmental innovations between countries for the global development of environmental policy. Empirical observation has shown that national environmental initiatives are often rapidly adopted by other countries; thus, these initiatives spread internationally. The conditions for and restrictions on the international diffusion of environmental innovations are examined on the basis of five case studies: environmental agencies and ministries, ecolabels, national environmental plans, CO2/energy taxes, and soil protection legislation. The key determinants of policy diffusion include (1) national factors (capacities for action in environmental policy, the demand for problem solutions), (2) the dynamics of the international system (the significance of front-runner countries for global policy diffusion, international organisations, transnational networks), and (3) aspects of the specific policy innovation (characteristics of policy innovation, availability of appropriate policy models, etc.).

Social Capital and Local Agenda 21. Local Environmental Policy Initiatives in the United States (2000)

The starting point of this article is the relationship of social capital and Local Agenda 21 processes and/or environmental policy initiatives in the United States. Following a brief overview of conceptual-theoretical approaches to social capital, three key issues are investigated: First, how important is the form and degree of social capital in a given city or local community for the rise and development of environmental policy initiatives? Second, what are the possible repercussions of these initiatives on social capital, assuming that the corresponding procedures contribute to an increase in social capital? Third, what is the role of the state in creating (or destroying) social capital?