Trust in International Environmental Cooperation in Northwestern Russia

Abstract

In this article, I discuss trust and its manifestations in international environmental cooperation. A lack of trust in the capacity of states and other actors to tackle environmental issues leads to international environmental insecurity. Awareness of such incapacities is widespread and is increasing in `modern risk societies'. Trust is often understood as the rational and intentional efforts of parties to treat one another as trustworthy counterparts and to ignore discretion, but it is also habitual. Trust is based on the socialization of agents into certain practices. The importance of trust and its different dimensions emerged as the central theme in a study of international environmental cooperation in northwestern Russia. Russian and Nordic participants were interviewed in the winter 2003—2004 and spring 2006 with the aim of gathering their views and experiences on cooperation. The interviewees were mainly representatives of regional and national administrations and non-governmental organizations. In addition, in the autumn of 2004 and again in the autumn of 2006, a questionnaire was sent to project managers working in northwestern Russia. The article highlights the importance of the institutional dimension of trust in terms of trust in abstract expertise and monetary systems as well as trust in the representatives of such systems. Both trust and the lack of trust remain important issues, especially in regard to the Russian capacity to develop domestic environmental policies and to improve the status of Russia in international environmental cooperation.

Using environmental report cards to encourage constructive stakeholder relationships in natural resource management: developing a participatory report carding process

“…The concept of trust is emphasised frequently in the conflict literature (Curşeu & Schruijer, 2010;Shrum et al, 2001;Sanders & Schyns, 2006;Balliet & Van Lange, 2013;Head, 2012), and specifically within the NRM context (Abbas et al, 2015;Beierle & Konisky, 2000;Tennberg, 2007). Trust is a complex and many-faceted concept, and is the subject of its own body of literature, having been discussed as a cognitive product, an interpersonal relational quality, an impersonal abstract quality (e.g.…”

“…Trust is a complex and many-faceted concept, and is the subject of its own body of literature, having been discussed as a cognitive product, an interpersonal relational quality, an impersonal abstract quality (e.g. trust in public institutions), and the product of a rational choice (Hardin, 2002;O'Neill, 2002;Tennberg, 2007;Gambetta, 1988). Hoffman (2002: 376-7) reviews the literature to provide a useful working definition, adopted for this thesis:…”

The impact of trust relationships on environmental management in North Lebanon

“…As Nahapiet and Ghoshal, observed: "trust lubricates cooperation, and cooperation itself breeds trust" (1998, p. 255). "Trust" and its different dimensions was considered central to a study of environmental cooperation (Tennberg, 2007) and various scholars have stated that trust enhances cooperation on different levels (Ferrin et al, 2007;Lundin, 2007;Woolthui, 1999;Edelenbos and Erik-Hans, 2007). One reason is that when parties recognize and feel bound by certain values (such as fairness, cooperation, and reciprocity), then these will encourage the parties toward greater cooperation (Koeszegi 2004;Parkhe, 1993).…”

“…Secondly, enhancing trust relationships is a means to reduce insecurity and conflict in the relationships between different actors (Shahbaz et al, 2008). Trust between parties also helps to overcome disagreements (Tennberg, 2007), as it facilitates negotiation and conflict management between stakeholders (Tomlinson et al, 2009). Finally, the outcomes of environmental management processes are also affected by mutual trust, the interdependence between stakeholders, and the history of cooperation (Eshuis and Van Woerkum, 2003;Kelman, 2005).…”

“…Scholars refer to a strong link between trust and cooperation (Ferrin et al, 2007;Lundin, 2007;Woolthuis, 1999;Putnam, 1993;Edelenbos and Erik-Hans, 2007). Therefore, it is not surprising that trust between stakeholders is perceived to be a necessary condition to overcome disagreements in how to undertake environmental management (Tennberg, 2007). Trust explains, at least to some extent, why participants in various scenarios choose to cooperate or not (Ostrom and Walker, 2003) and cooperation is said to be very important in a resource management process (Ostrom, 2007).…”