Hierarchy, networks, or markets: how does the EU shape environmental policy adoptions within and beyond its borders?

Abstract

In this study we scrutinize the strength of the European Union's 'external governance' in the area of environmental policy. We explore whether accession candidates and third countries adopted European environmental legislation along with the member states. In doing so, we focus on Community laws that limit nitrogen oxides in the emissions into the air from large combustion plants, introduce the European ecolabel scheme and environmental impact assessments. Our analysis reveals that hierarchical governance is the most significant and robust determinant of policy adoption. Additionally, our results lend some support to the relevance of network governance, indicating that this mode could become more effective at greater length.

EU rules beyond EU borders: theorizing external governance in European politics

“…Barbé et al (2009) discover that the perceived legitimacy of EU rules is one prerequisite for selecting EU rules as the basis of co-operation in EU-third-country relations (I2b). Freyburg et al (2009) show that the adoption of democratic governance rules increases with the degree of their legalization in the EU (I2a), and Knill and Tosun (2009) come to the conclusion that the hierarchical mode of governance is the most effective one (I3). Whereas this hypothesis is shared by the power-based explanation (P3), Knill and Tosun operationalize it in terms of legalization so that the effects can be attributed to the quality of institutions rather than power.…”

“…Looking at the field of environmental policy, the contribution by Christoph Knill and Jale Tosun -'Hierarchy, networks or markets' (Knill and Tosun 2009) -takes these different modes of governance as independent variables and examines their respective effectiveness in promoting EU environmental rules abroad. This quantitative study covering 32 European states (both EFTA, candidate and ENP countries) in the period from 1980 to 2006 documents not only that EU environmental norms have repeatedly been adopted in third countries, but also that hierarchy has been the most effective mode of external governance to date.…”

The Role of EU Agencies in the Acquis Transfer: The Case of the European Neighbourhood Policy Countries

“…Instead of focusing on the effects of such cooperation (see, for instance, Knill and Tosun 2009), the present study addresses the variance existing in the degree of cooperation between EU agencies and the ENP states. A recent contribution of Lavenex (2015) proposes a very first assessment of the EU agencies' involvement in third countries describing the variance in cooperation across seven EU agencies.…”

Economy and Sustainability—How Economic Integration Stimulates Stringent Environmental Regulations

“…Further, Knill and Tosun [32] highlight that international harmonization is the most effective way of achieving a tightening of regulatory standards vis-à -vis other mechanisms, such as, for example, economic conditionality. Their results also show that not only member states but also accession candidates adopt European legislation.…”