Globalization, Political Institutions and the Environment in Developing Countries

Gabriele Spilker is a Fritz Thyssen Fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Before going to Harvard University she was a postdoctoral researcher in the “International Political Economy” group at the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS) and the Institute for Environmental Decisions (IED). After studying Public Policy and Economics in Konstanz and Prague, she pursued her doctoral studies in Political Science at ETH Zurich and the University of California at San Diego.

• 1: Introduction. 2: What is Driving Environmental Quality? Domestic versus International Integration. 3: Disentangling the Effect of IO Membership. 4: Joint Effects of Economic Globalization and Political Institutions on Environmental Quality in Developing Countries.5: What is Driving Environmental Commitment? Domestic versus International Integration.6: Treaty Design and Environmental Commitment. 7: Environmental Performance in China and India. 8: Conclusion.

"This study pioneers the application of sophisticated statistical techniques and theoretical ideas drawn from modern comparative political economy to environmental politics in developing countries. It is able to rigorously demonstrate the effects of economic growth, integration into the international political system, and the interaction between domestic and international influences. Yet the discussion is easily accessible and provides the reader with considerable insight into the background literature. It should be widely read, not only by those interested in environmental politics but also by all those interested in comparative politics."—Hugh Ward, University of Essex"A pioneering and ambitious effort to systematically explain patterns of environmental policy outcomes in developing countries. This book by Gabriele Spilker is a serious contribution to the literature and a must-read for anyone who is interested in environmental politics in the developing world, one of the most important and promising areas for enriching our understanding of global environmental politics."—Xun Cao, Pennsylvania State University