Overview

An examination of the role and relevance of international bureaucracies in global environmental governance. International bureaucracies—highly visible, far-reaching actors of global governance in areas that range from finance to the environment—are often derided as ineffective, inefficient, and unresponsive. Yet despite their prominence in many debates on world politics, little scholarly attention has been given to their actual influence in recent years. Managers of Global Change fills this gap, offering conceptual analysis and case studies of the role and relevance of international bureaucracies in the area of environmental governance—one of the most institutionally dynamic areas of world politics. The book seeks to resolve a puzzling disparity: although most international bureaucracies resemble each other in terms of their institutional and legal settings (their mandate, the countries to which they report, their general function), the roles they play and their actual influence vary greatly. The chapters investigate the type and degree of influence that international environmental bureaucracies exert and whether external or internal factors account for variations. After a discussion of theoretical context, research design, and empirical methodology, the book presents nine in-depth case studies of bureaucracies ranging from the environment department of the World Bank to the United Nations' climate and desertification secretariats. Managers of Global Change points the way to a better understanding of the role of international bureaucracies, which could improve the legitimacy of global decision making and resolve policy debates about the reform of the United Nations and other bodies.

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9780262012744

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Reviews

Managers of Global Change provides a welcome return to careful attention to the possibilities and patterns of organizational agency. Global Environmental Politics ... this book will ... be of interest to scholars in other fields, and practitioners who want to understand sources of and constraints on bureaucratic influence. ... The authors' findings are intriguing, and will help to advance the study of this area of world politics. Review of International Organizations ... the book ... fills the gap in our knowledge on how these bureaucracies operate and compare. It is insightful in highlighting the role that international bureaucracies do play in international negotiations and how they may, in some circumstances, shape international negotiations. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy Managers of Global Change certainly offers a vast empirical overview of the performance of global environmental bureaucracies, a number of interesting insights about their functioning, and a solid intellectual and theoretical basis for guiding future studies on how international bureaucracies influence the decisions, norms, and administrative frameworks that govern policymaking around the world. Governance

With comprehensive theory, and methodological rigor, Biermann and Siebenhuner bring together the best minds to explain the influence of environmental bureaucracies. Managers of Global Change gives both practitioners and analysts new systematic insight into this burgeoning influence. This is an important contribution that will be a touchstone for policymakers, academics, and NGOs. --Steinar Andresen, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway This book is a timely wake-up call for all who have dismissed international bureaucracies as insignificant actors in global environmental governance. Biermann and Siebenhuner show that such bureaucracies can influence processes and outcomes in more ways than you would think! --Arild Underdal, Professor of International Politics, University of Oslo Managers of Global Change reveals deep insights on international bureaucracy combining perspectives from sociological institutionalism, organization theory, and international relations. Students, scholars, and practitioners alike will benefit from this comprehensive study of environmental governance. A must-read! --Norichika Kanie, Department of Value and Decision Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology This book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of international institutions in global environmental governance. Biermann and Siebenhuner have assembled a rich set of case studies and analyses that advance the current dialogue. Graduate and undergraduate students will find this book particularly useful, its reach, however, is far broader: Managers of Global Change will have a wide-ranging impact in the field. --Sebastian Oberthur, Scientific Director, Institute for European Studies, Free University Brussels This volume investigates the circumstances under which international secretariats exercise an independent influence on international environmental politics. Its midlevel theoretical stance distinguishes it for its empirical and theoretical advancement in the study of international institutions. --Peter M. Haas, Department of Political Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Managers of Global Change provides a welcome return to careful attention to the possibilities and patterns of organizational agency. —Global Environmental Politics … this book will … be of interest to scholars in other fields, and practitioners who want to understand sources of and constraints on bureaucratic influence. … The authors' findings are intriguing, and will help to advance the study of this area of world politics. —Review of International Organizations … the book … fills the gap in our knowledge on how these bureaucracies operate and compare. It is insightful in highlighting the role that international bureaucracies do play in international negotiations and how they may, in some circumstances, shape international negotiations. —Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy Managers of Global Change certainly offers a vast empirical overview of the performance of global environmental bureaucracies, a number of interesting insights about their functioning, and a solid intellectual and theoretical basis for guiding future studies on how international bureaucracies influence the decisions, norms, and administrative frameworks that govern policymaking around the world. —Governance

Author Information

Frank Biermann is Research Professor of Global Sustainability Governance with the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University and the author of Earth System Governance: World Politics in the Anthropocene (MIT Press). Bernd Siebenhü ner is Professor of Ecological Economics at Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany.

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