United States
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The challenges posed by managing hazardous chemicals cross boundaries, jurisdictions, and constituencies. Since the 1960s, a chemicals regime - a multitude of formally independent but functionally related treaties and programs - has been in continuous development, as states and organizations collaborate at different governance levels to mitigate the health and environmental problems caused by hazardous chemicals. In this book, Henrik Selin analyzes the development, implementation, and future of the chemicals regime, a critical but understudied area of global governance, and proposes that the issues raised have significant implications for effective multilevel governance in many other areas.
Selin focuses his analysis on three themes: coalition building in support of policy change; the diffusion of regime components across policy venues; and the influence of institutional linkages on the design and effectiveness of multilevel governance efforts. He provides in-depth empirical studies of the four multilateral treaties that form the core of the chemicals regime: the Basel Convention (1989), which regulates the transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous wastes; the Rotterdam Convention (1998), which governs the international trade in chemicals; the CLRTAP POPs Protocol (1998), designed to reduce the release and transnational transport of emissions of persistent organic pollutants; and the Stockholm Convention (2001), which targets the production, use, trade, and disposal of persistent organic pollutants.
The interactions of participants and institutions within and across different levels of governance have implications for policy making and management that are not yet fully understood. Selin's analysis of these linkages in the chemicals regime offers valuable theoretical and policy-relevant insights into the growing institutional density in global governance.
Henrik Selin is Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations at Boston University. He is the coeditor, with Stacy VanDeveer, of Changing Climates in North American Politics: Institutions, Policymaking, and Multilevel Governance (MIT Press, 2009).
A uniquely comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of theglobal chemicals regime Excellent background information for scholars of environmentalgovernance, as well as for policy makers, participants, and stakeholders inthe chemicals negotiations. -- Jessica Templeton, Review of Policy Research "Selin's book presents one of the most comprehensive examinations to date of the chemicals regime. Its elaborate history of this regime, as well as its clearly structured case studies, will make this work an oft-consulted reference for those active in the chemicals realm (as scholars or practitioners). It also presents a useful starting point for anyone looking to find out more about the international governance of hazardous chemicals." Pia M. Kohler Global Environmental Politics "Sometimes a concise, compact book can make its points more convincingly than one packed with details. That is the case here This lucid, compelling presentation demonstrates that the time to establish a global chemical management regime is overdue." A.S. Casparian Choice "The research that went into producing these case histories is truly impressive -- this book is essential reading for scholars and practitioners working in the area of hazardous chemicals management." Megan Mullin Perspectives on Politics
