The Translocal Politics of Environmental Norm Diffusion

Alger, J. G.; Dauvergne, Peter

doi:10.1080/17524032.2019.1665567

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The second stage in the cycle is when some ideas become norms. We define norms as the intersubjective understandings that are programmatic in nature and characterised by a sense of ‘ought’ vis-à-vis the scope and desirability of certain actions and behaviours (Alger & Dauvergne, 2019 ; Florini, 1996 ). We differentiate between ideas and norms in relation to their diffusion, that is, how many actors in a constituency have adopted an idea or a norm (breadth) and whether the understanding of an idea or a norm is uniform across this constituency (consistency).…”

Section: Analysing Changes In International Organisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We differentiate between ideas and norms in relation to their diffusion, that is, how many actors in a constituency have adopted an idea or a norm (breadth) and whether the understanding of an idea or a norm is uniform across this constituency (consistency). Ideas, especially those that directly challenge the established order, will generally be narrowly and inconsistently diffused and therefore fail to qualify as norms (Alger & Dauvergne, 2019 , pp. 6–7).…”

Section: Analysing Changes In International Organisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6–7). For instance, despite their prescriptive nature and the scientific attention they have received, ideas such as depopulating and limiting economic growth have not become a norm in any country or in international institutions (Alger & Dauvergne, 2019 , p. 11). Importantly, our understanding of norms is discursive rather than legal or operational (Krook & True, 2010 ), and therefore, not synonymous with ‘standards’ or ‘rules’.…”

Section: Analysing Changes In International Organisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Can the Sustainable Development Goals Green International Organisations? Sustainability Integration in the International Labour Organisation

Montesano

Biermann

Kalfagianni

et al. 2021

Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning

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In global sustainability governance, many actors have emphasised the need for policy integration across the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. In 2015, the United Nations agreed on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to advance such integration. But have international organisations responded to this call, and can we observe any integrative effect of the SDGs? We draw on International Relations theories that incorporate change in their analysis and develop an analytical framework to assess change through the lenses of ideas, norms, and institutions. We use this framework to assess sustainability-oriented change in the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The ILO is traditionally an organisation with a primarily socio-economic mandate and hence an ideal case to study whether the SDGs had any impact after 2015 in strengthening the environmental dimension of sustainability in the ILO's institutional settings and policy development. We focus on the 2010-2019 period and conduct a systematic qualitative content analysis of primary documentary sources, complemented with expert interviews and data on operational developments. The paper concludes that there is a significant yet instrumental greening trend in the ILO's approach to sustainable development, but also a bidirectional influence between the ILO and the SDGs.

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Section: Analysing Changes In International Organisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analysing Changes In International Organisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analysing Changes In International Organisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Can the Sustainable Development Goals Green International Organisations? Sustainability Integration in the International Labour Organisation

Montesano

Biermann

Kalfagianni

et al. 2021

Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We found that how professionals perceive and operationalise sustainability integration differs strongly, and that this is considerably more frequent when we look at their normative rather than merely descriptive views. This attests to the importance of understanding and mapping the origins and distribution of norms (Alger & Dauvergne, 2019). Whether the more prevalent balanced model of integration is to be further implemented, or whether its hierarchical counterpart is to make headway, also depends on which descriptive understandings on the relationship between the three dimensions are going to gain an "ought" element (Florini, 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing or prioritising for sustainable development? Perceptions of sustainability integration among professionals

Montesano

Biermann

Kalfagianni

et al. 2023

Sustainable Development

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The effective integration of the environmental with the economic and social dimensions of sustainability will only succeed when the core problem perceptions of professionals in these fields adjust as well. Yet, while sustainability integration in general has been thoroughly researched, few studies have analysed the specific role of subjective understandings among professionals. This article bridges this gap by asking how professionals understand and operationalise sustainability integration. Which factors shape their perceptions and practices? We present the results of an online survey that was circulated to a diverse sample of professionals and then analysed using statistical methods. Responses from 508 participants show that sustainability integration is mostly perceived as a balance across all three sustainability dimensions rather than a hierarchy with the environment at its basis. However, perceptions also vary significantly across professional and geographical contexts. This signifies the need to better account for how individual circumstances affect processes of integration.

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“…Referring to studies on policy implementation (Jager, Newig, Challies, & Kochskämper, 2020), this article argues that different norm understandings of sustainability impede SDG 2 implementation. The article builds on research in international relations (IR) theory on the impact of different norm understandings in global goal implementation (Alger & Dauvergne, 2020;Breitmeier, Schwindenhammer, Checa, Manderbach, & Tanzer, 2020) and the role of inter-institutional cooperation in ensuring the effectiveness of global regime complexes (Biedenkopf, 2017;Gehring & Faude, 2013). It does not examine how SDG 2 is implemented but analyzes the potential of global inter-institutional interaction to achieve more aligned sustainability norm understandings, which we consider a crucial prerequisite for SDG 2 implementation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aligned Sustainability Understandings? Global Inter-Institutional Arrangements and the Implementation of SDG 2

Breitmeier

Schwindenhammer

Checa

et al. 2021

PaG

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This article asks whether inter-institutional arrangements (IIAs) can facilitate norm understandings of sustainability in the global food regime complex to ensure the implementation of SDG 2. It refers to theories of norm implementation and regime complexes and focuses on two explanatory factors: non-material resources (authority and knowledge) and interplay management (participation and interaction). The article deals with three case studies: The Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Sustainable Food Systems Programme, and the Standards and Trade Development Facility. Qualitative empirical analysis is based on documents and expert interviews. The article assumes that both explanatory factors are beneficial for the development of an aligned sustainability understanding. The findings indicate that IIAs serve as discursive fora for institutional exchange and can, thus, facilitate the development of aligned sustainability understandings in the global food regime complex. However, the article also identifies some structural factors that provide more scope for certain actors to enforce their normative views and interests, which ultimately hampers the implementation of SDG2.

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The Translocal Politics of Environmental Norm Diffusion

Cited by 16 publications

References 33 publications

Can the Sustainable Development Goals Green International Organisations? Sustainability Integration in the International Labour Organisation

Can the Sustainable Development Goals Green International Organisations? Sustainability Integration in the International Labour Organisation

Balancing or prioritising for sustainable development? Perceptions of sustainability integration among professionals

Aligned Sustainability Understandings? Global Inter-Institutional Arrangements and the Implementation of SDG 2

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