Converging Divergence: the Diffusion of the Green State in Latin America

From ‘Green Laggard’ to Regional Leader: Explaining the Recent Development of Environmental Policy in Chile

“…International organisations set international norms and help construct international agendas in cooperation with states, thereby promoting the diffusion of environmental concerns and instruments worldwide (Tews, Busch and Jörgens, ; Carter, ). Organisational theorists speak about ‘isomorphism’ when they refer to the adoption of universal organisational and institutional models, and they have found coercion and competition to be key motivations behind the adoption of international norms by individual states (see Orihuela, ). In this vein, Cox and Béland (: 307) stress that sustainability has become a ‘valence’ issue that states cannot avoid addressing.…”

“…These actors play an important role in pushing environmental policy agendas. First, they have room for manoeuvre regarding when and how they decide to implement international norms (Orihuela, ). Second, they can advance their own domestic policy goals independent of international agendas.…”

“…In contrast to her approach during her first term of office, Bachelet strategically highlighted an environmental discourse; moreover, the subsequent environmental policy has been singled out as a major legacy of her reformist administration (Leporati, ; El Mostrador, ). In just a few years, Chile has gone from ‘green laggard’ (Orihuela, : 251) to regional leader in addressing climate change and promoting environmental actions – such as recycling, protection of biodiversity, air quality improvement, and renewable energy.…”

“…As a poster child of neoliberal policies, considered a ‘green laggard’ (Orihuela, : 251), the Chilean case can shed light on the rapid development of environmental policy in an otherwise adverse context. Existing research explaining the status of environmental policy in other Latin American countries has highlighted the influence of different actors in specific contexts (Lemos and Looye, ; Díez, ; Hochstetler and Keck, ; Amengual, ; Orihuela, ; Hochstetler and Kostka, ). In this article, I unify this field of research, providing an analytical framework to understand environmental policy change in Chile.…”

The authority of rules in Chile’s contentious environmental politics

“…The government 385 requested support after Conama had been created by decree, and in 1992 the World Bank lent Chile US$11 million to implement what it skeptically called the 'Chilean model' of environmental governance (Ruthenberg et al 2001). In the early 1990s, most countries around the world were creating environment ministries, not coordinating agencies (Orihuela 2013). However, the 390 Bank's loan documents accepted Chilean policy-makers' arguments that there was no 'single "good-practice" approach for the most effective institutional arrangement.'…”