Conducting Research on Global Environmental Agreement-Making

A practical guide to researching the actors, sites and processes of global environmental negotiations and agreement-making.

Hannah Hughes (Edited by), Alice B. M. Vadrot (Edited by)

9781009179447, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 August 2023

332 pages
25.1 x 17.6 x 2.3 cm, 0.72 kg

Global environmental negotiations have become central sites for studying the interaction between politics, power, and environmental degradation. This book challenges what constitutes the sites, actors, and processes of negotiations beyond conventional approaches and provides a critical, multidisciplinary, and applied perspective reflecting recent developments, such as the increase of actor diversity and the digitalisation of global environmental meetings. It provides a step-by-step guide to the study of global environmental negotiations using accessible language and illustrative examples from different negotiation settings, including climate change, biodiversity, and ocean protection. It introduces the concept of 'agreement-making' to broaden understanding of what is studied as a 'site' of negotiation, illustrating how diverse methods can be applied to research the actors, processes, and order-making. It provides practical guidance and methodological tools for students, researchers and practitioners participating in global environmental agreement-making. One of a series of publications associated with the Earth System Governance Project: www.cambridge.org/earth-system-governance.

1. Introduction: broadened understanding of global environmental negotiations Hannah Hughes and Alice B. M. Vadrot
Part I. Developing a Methodology: 2. Starting: practical and ethical considerations Alice B. M. Vadrot and Hannah Hughes
3. Frameworks: developing and working with analytical frameworks Michele Betsill and Naghmeh Nasiritousi
4. Concepts: selecting, applying and innovating concepts Hannah Hughes and Alice B. M. Vadrot
5. Stakes: conducting relational research with indigenous peoples Marcela Vecchione-Gonçalves with Hannah Hughes
Part II. Navigating Sites: 6. Negotiations: navigating global environmental conferences Tracy Bach and Beth Martin
7. Beyond negotiations: studying side events, exhibition booths, and other neglected conference spaces Jennifer Bansard
Part III. Collecting and Analyzing Data: 8. Texts: collecting and analyzing event documents Jennifer Iris Allan and Pamela Chasek
9. Interviews: conducting and using interviews on and at negotiations Yulia Yamineva
10. Ethnography: from method to methodology at plural sites of agreement making Kimberly R. Marion Suiseeya and Laura Zanotti
11. Collaboration: working together across time and space Noella J. Gray, Catherine Corson, Lisa M. Campbell, Peter R. Wilshusen, Rebecca L. Gruby and Shannon Hagerman
12. Networks: collecting data for social network analysis Matthew Paterson
Part IV: Implementing and Adapting: 13. Experiences: reflecting and comparing research on negotiations Arne Langlet, Timo Leiter, Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki and Harriet Thew
14. Adapting: responding to unforeseen research circumstances Alice B. M. Vadrot
15. Conclusions: reflecting on the future (study) of global environmental agreement-making Alice B. M. Vadrot and Hannah Hughes
Index.

Subject Areas: International environmental law [LBBP]