The state and the environment: Environmental policy and performance in 37 countries 1970–2010

Abstract The limitations and possibilities of the state in solving societal problems are perennial issues in the political and policy sciences and increasingly so in studies of environmental politics. With the aim of better understanding the role of the state in addressing environmental degradation through policy making, this article investigates the nexus between the environmental policy outputs and the environmental performance. Drawing on three theoretical perspectives on the state and market nexus in the environmental dilemma, we identify five distinct pathways. We then examine the extent to which these pathways are manifested in the real world. Our empirical investigation covers up to 37 countries for the period 1970–2010. While we see no global pattern of linkages between policy outputs and performance, our exploratory analysis finds evidence of policy effects, which suggest that the state can, under certain circumstances, improve the environment through policy making. Related Articles Båtstrand, Sondre. 2015. “More than Markets: A Comparative Study of Nine Conservative Parties on Climate Change.” Politics & Policy 43(4): 538–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12122 . Tawiah, Vincent. 2022. “Does Political Ideology Affect the Stringency of Environmental Policy?” Politics & Policy 50(3): 631–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12465 . Viniegra, María Eugenia Ibarrarán, and Salimah Mónica Cossens González. 2007. “Climate Change Research and Policy in Mexico: Implications for North American Security.” Politics & Policy 35(4): 684–701. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2007.00080.x .