| Summary: | This dissertation examines the sources and consequences of non-state actor
influence in international environmental policymaking. I argue that non-state variables
inside of a country, such as the strength of environmental non-governmental
organizations (ENGOs), public attitudes towards the environment, and the level of interpersonal
trust between citizens, can act as important determinants of state actions in the
international environmental policymaking realm.
The empirical analyses of these propositions provide the main bulk of this
project. My first empirical chapter tests the hypothesis that the strength of domestic nongovernmental
organizations can affect the likelihood of a country participating in
international environmental agreements, and finds that countries with more ENGOs are
party to more international environmental agreements than countries with fewer ENGOs.
My second empirical chapter examines the impact of public opinion on the treaty
ratification behavior of a country, and finds that the greater the level of public support
for the use of international environmental agreements to address environmental problems, the faster a country ratifies the Kyoto Protocol. My final empirical chapter
demonstrates how levels of inter-personal trust between citizens can impact the extent to
which a state complies with its environmental treaty obligations, and shows that higher
levels of trust are linked to higher rates of compliance with environmental treaties, but
that this effect is mediated by the degree of ethnic diversity within a country.
Given the significance of my findings, I conclude with the argument that nonstate
actors are able to influence the participation, ratification and compliance behavior
of states in international environmental policymaking arena.
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