Resisting Transparency: Corruption, Legitimacy, and the Quality of Global Environmental Policies

Monika Bauhr and Naghmeh Nasiritousi
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Monika Bauhr: Monika Bauhr is an Assistant Professor at the Quality of Government (QoG) Institute at the Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg.
Naghmeh Nasiritousi: Naghmeh Nasiritousi is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research and the Division of Water and Environmental Studies, Linköping University.

Global Environmental Politics, 2012, vol. 12, issue 4, 9-29

Abstract: The domestic endorsement and institutionalization of transparency is of central importance to the implementation of global environmental policies. Studies often contend that interaction with international organizations (IOs) promotes domestic support for transparency. This article qualifies this conclusion and suggests that the positive effects of interaction with international organizations depend on the quality of IO decision-making processes, defined as their fairness, predictability, and effectiveness. Unfair, ineffective, and unpredictable decision-making processes in IOs can increase corruption, reduce legitimacy, and make officials blame transparency for unsatisfactory decision-making. The results build on a study of government officials in developing countries responsible for managing funds from the Clean Development Mechanism and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol. Our findings suggest that government officials who perceive IO systems as unfair, ineffective, and unpredictable cultivate an adversarial relationship with media and NGOs and become more critical of the benefits of transparency. © 2012 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Keywords: global environmental policies; international organizations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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