The study deals with eco-labeling systems that have spread faster than other types of new policy instruments. The paper focuses on the diffusion of two different types of eco-labels: (1) general eco-labeling systems such as the German Blue Angel (Blauer Engel), and (2) the Forest Stewardship...

Developing sustainable, carbon-neutral, and climate-resilient districts seems to be particularly challenging with respect to historic city centers. However, barriers posed by legal requirements for historical buildings are counterbalanced by opportunities because historic cities have not...

The subject of this paper is the importance of the diffusion of environmental innovations between countries for the global development of environmental policy. Empirical observation has shown that national environmental initiatives are often rapidly adopted by other countries; thus, these...

Das Verhältnis zwischen den Politikebenen im Mehrebenensystem der USA kann durch drei Typen charakterisiert werden: erstens die zentrale Regulierung, d.h. die hierarchische Koordination der Politikebenen. Zweitens die dezentrale Regulierung, die sowohl den regulativen Wettbewerb als auch die...

For over a decade climate change has been considered one of the most significant political issues facing the international community. In order to address this challenge, attention needs to be focused not only at the international level of treaties and conventions, but also on how climate...

Die Umweltpolitik gilt als wichtiger Eckpfeiler rot-grüner Politik in Deutschland. Um deren Erfolg beurteilen zu können, müssen nationale Pfadabhängigkeiten wie auch globale Politikkonvergenzen berücksichtigt werden. Deshalb wird eine Konzeption gewählt, die zwei Dimensionen umfasst: das...

After the end of the Cold War, the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) developed into a highly dynamic area of cross-border cooperation and transnational networking. Four types of governance beyond the nation-state are discussed here: (1) international regimes, such as the Helsinki Convention for the...

More than ten years after the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, which marked the institutionalization of Agenda 21 and the beginning of Local Agenda 21 processes all over the world, it is time to summarize and evaluate the situation with respect to Local Agenda 21 in Germany. Even in Germany, which can...

In der vorliegenden Studie werden die Handlungsoptionen deutscher Kommunen als Akteure im Klimaschutz untersucht. Gerade auf lokaler Ebene ist die Durchführung entsprechender Maßnahmen unverzichtbar, sollen die global, europaweit und national angestrebten CO2-Reduktionsziele erreicht werden....

When the topic of global governance or post-national governance arises, it generally does so in the context of the co-operation between nation states, international agreements and the role of international organizations. As opposed to this, global governance through the self-organization of...