Interactions between Democracy and Environmental Quality: Toward a More Nuanced Understanding

Abstract

This paper seeks to contribute to existing debates on the relationship between democracy and environmental quality. More specifically, we aim to provide nuance and insight into the question as to whether democratic regimes are better equipped to protect the environment. After critically reviewing theoretical arguments and providing an overview of existing empirical studies, the paper proposes an approach which consists of the use of non-parametric correlations between democracy and environmental quality, and a consideration of the interactions between democracy, government effectiveness, economic prosperity, and perceptions of corruption. Crucially, we show that, although a positive correlation can be found between levels of democracy and environmental quality, the picture is somewhat blurred if data are stratified using criteria such as government effectiveness and corruption perceptions. Consequently, the main argument the paper pursues is that, to assess the relationship between democracy and environmental quality, intervening factors and their effects need to be acknowledged and taken into account.

Democracy, national culture and greenhouse gas emissions: An international study

“…In a democratic country, climate change issues may force individuals and corporations to collaborate to minimise GHG emissions, a job that includes knowledge of corporate carbon threats, benefits, plans and pollution levels. A government in a democratic country is more responsive to its people, as elections are the cornerstone on which citizens with voting rights have authority (Iwi nska et al, 2019). The importance of being elected through a democratic process thus introduces the minimum degree of transparency and accountability to stakeholders in the interests of a given society.…”

“…Furthermore, democratic countries are more likely to take part in international negotiations and treaties on the environmental protection matters (Iwi nska et al, 2019). Some researchers claim that democracies are not unilateral but appear to behave in compliance with international law (Battig & Bernauer, 2009).…”

“…The motivation of the study originates from two sources. First, despite the potential of democracy to shape a country's culture in the fight against GHG emissions (Boyce, 2002; Iwińska et al, 2019), empirical research is lacking on how the interplay of the two variables influences greenhouse gas emission intensity. Second, there are active but unresolved debates around the link between democracy and the environment.…”

New Trends in Sustainable Environmental Governance in Mainland China. The Zhejiang Case.

“…The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Albert Gore defines democracy as "an essential prerequisite for saving the environment" (Gore, 1992). More recent studies have argued that the link between democracy and a sustainable environmental might be nonexistent in low-income countries, as weaker institutions are ineffective at protecting the environment when economic growth is at risk (Iwinska et al, 2019). Payne (1995) adds four essential prerequisites for protecting the environment: accountability, information, organized civil society, and international cooperation.…”

Do Social and Institutional Factors Improve the Quality of Environment? Evidence from 5 ASEAN Economies

“…(Benedetta and Vincenzo, 2019) stated that the linkage between environmental quality and different exogenous variables at the macro level has been examined in different studies. However, the focus of most of the studies was limited to economic factors concerning environmental degradation (Iwiñska et al, 2019). In addition, many other variables have significant effects on the environment, such as social, institutional, socio-economic, and structural factors (Ciarli & Savona, 2019).…”