Long-Term Environmental Policy: Definition, Knowledge, Future Research
Detlef F. Sprinz Additional contact information Detlef F. Sprinz: Detlef F. Sprinz is Senior Scientist in the Research Domain "Transdisciplinary Concepts & Methods" of PIK-Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. His research and publications encompass long-term policy, inter/national institutions and the evaluation of their performance, international environmental policy, and modeling political decisions. He is the Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark, and a member of the European Academy, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany. His major publications include Models, Numbers, and Cases: Methods for Studying International Relations (with Yael Wolinsky-Nahmias, 2004), International Relations and Global Climate Change (with Urs Luterbacher, 2001), as well as articles in International Organization, International Studies Review, International Political Science Review, Journal of Conflict Resolution, and World Politics.
Abstract:
Considering the long-term is not new, yet we seem to be overwhelmed by the long-term nature of many of our environmental policy problems. Following a definition of long-term policy problems, this editorial introduces the contributions to this special issue of Global Environmental Politics and outlines three major challenges for future research, including the time inconsistency problem, the effect of democratic and decentralized governance on problem-solving, as well as institutional designs to prevent or recover from unwanted long-term policy outcomes. (c) 2009 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.