Is There Convergence of National Environmental Policies? : An Analysis of Policy Outputs in 24 OECD Countries

Abstract

A central issue of globalisation research is the question whether globalisation leads to the convergence of political institutions and policies or whether domestic responses to global challenges are too strongly influenced by existing domestic structures. In the field of environmental policy pressures towards increasing similarity of national policy repertoires are particularly pronounced. It is hence the objective of this article to investigate if and to what extent environmental policy convergence takes place. We analyse policy development by relying on a data set covering 40 different environmental policy measures in 24 OECD countries from 1970 to 2000. We find an increase in the number of individual environmental policies countries apply, an increase in the similarity of individual policies across countries, an increase in the homogeneity of the policy repertoires, and moreover, a clear increase in the strictness of regulations, as well as processes of catching up and overtaking among countries.