State Learning and Role Playing : International environmental cooperation in the Arctic Council
(2018) In Lund Political Studies- Abstract
- This study investigates state interaction as a social learning process, where the ultimate aim is to enhance an understanding on how states learn of environmental norms. An entry into the domain on such learning processes is offered through a Constructivist approach and more specifically through the employment of a role theoretical perspective; a role here is signified as a state's repertory of behavior and its social position within a group. Attention has been devoted to states' ego- and alter expectations, which provide access to how states reflect and deliberate regarding their preferred behavior, when also taking into account those behavioral/normative prescriptions found in the social context, and in others' expectations. To enhance... (More)
- This study investigates state interaction as a social learning process, where the ultimate aim is to enhance an understanding on how states learn of environmental norms. An entry into the domain on such learning processes is offered through a Constructivist approach and more specifically through the employment of a role theoretical perspective; a role here is signified as a state's repertory of behavior and its social position within a group. Attention has been devoted to states' ego- and alter expectations, which provide access to how states reflect and deliberate regarding their preferred behavior, when also taking into account those behavioral/normative prescriptions found in the social context, and in others' expectations. To enhance an understanding on how states learn of environmental norms, investigations and discussions are carried out on the links between: learning and expectations, environmental protection and fossil energy interests, and learning and role changes.
Furthermore, such discussions are linked to the Arctic context, and more precisely to state interaction within the Arctic Council. This intergovernmental forum - dedicated to sustainable development and environmental protection - has eight Arctic states as founding members: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the U.S. In this study, each state's role is mapped through a text analysis, of foremost Senior Arctic Official's meeting minutes during the period 1999-2016. Two specific negotiation processes (2013-2015) are then investigated from a micro perspective, focusing on the question of how states learn. These negotiations are on oil spill prevention and the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants, respectively. Three theoretical conclusions are drawn: firstly; roles in international relations are stable but flexible, thus adaptive; secondly, the flexible dimension of roles is activated in relation to understanding - to which degree states understand their social context to contain behavioral prescriptions, and thirdly; states cannot learn in a speedier and more thorough manner than the role allows for flexing. For the progression of environmental protection, learning about such norms are thus suggested to be successive learning, connected to states' expectations of their (role) purpose within a social context. Moreover, it is suggested that conceptions of being a good cooperator is superior, why learning of environmental norms also is connected to understandings of what would constitute such an actor. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Den här avhandlingen undersöker staters interaktion som en social läroprocess, i syfte att förstå hur stater lär sig om miljönormer. Detta sker genom en konstruktivistisk ansats och mer specifikt ett roll-teoretiskt perspektiv, där en roll förstås som statens repertoar av beteende, jämsides dess funktion i en social interaktionskontext. Rollen formas av ego- och alterförväntningar, det vill säga både av statens egna förväntningar på sig själv, som av andras - faktiska såväl som uppfattade. Den sociala kontexten antas således ha inverkan. För att öka förståelsen kring hur stater lär sig om miljönormer, diskuterar och undersöker denna avhandling kopplingar mellan; lärande och förväntningar, statens intresse av att skydda miljön kontra dess... (More)
- Den här avhandlingen undersöker staters interaktion som en social läroprocess, i syfte att förstå hur stater lär sig om miljönormer. Detta sker genom en konstruktivistisk ansats och mer specifikt ett roll-teoretiskt perspektiv, där en roll förstås som statens repertoar av beteende, jämsides dess funktion i en social interaktionskontext. Rollen formas av ego- och alterförväntningar, det vill säga både av statens egna förväntningar på sig själv, som av andras - faktiska såväl som uppfattade. Den sociala kontexten antas således ha inverkan. För att öka förståelsen kring hur stater lär sig om miljönormer, diskuterar och undersöker denna avhandling kopplingar mellan; lärande och förväntningar, statens intresse av att skydda miljön kontra dess intresse av att utvinna fossila bränslen, samt lärande och rollförändringar.
Ovanstående diskussioner kopplas till en arktisk kontext, och mer specifikt till Arktiska Rådet, en mellanstatlig organisation för samarbete kring framförallt hållbar utveckling och miljöskydd. Samtliga åtta arktiska stater är medlemmar: Danmark, Finland, Island, Kanada, Norge, Ryssland, Sverige och USA. I den här studien genomförs två övergripande undersökningar: först så kartläggs och tillskrivs varje stat en särskild roll, såsom den har gestaltat sig efter genomgången textanalys av offentliga anteckningar (mellan åren 1999-2016), från möten mellan Senior Arctic Officials. Efter detta, och delvis med utgångspunkt i denna roll, undersöks sedan två specifika förhandlingsprocesser som ägde rum 2013-15, vars tema behandlade oljespillsprevention respektive en reducering av kortlivade klimatpåverkande luftföroreningar. Studien applicerar här ett mikro-perspektiv, med fokus på att besvara frågan om hur stater lär sig. Följande slutsatser dras; för det första tenderar roller i internationella relationer att vara stabila, om än flexibla och anpassningsbara. För det andra så aktiveras rollens flexibilitet i relation till förståelse, det vill säga i vilken utsträckning som den sociala kontexten uppfattas innehålla krav på ett särskilt (miljö)beteende. För det tredje så föreslår avhandlingen att staters lärande är avhängigt rollens förmåga till anpassning, det vill säga; en stat inte kan lära sig mer, eller snabbare, än att rollen tillåts flexa och anpassa sig därefter, för att därigenom också kunna bestå. För progressiviteten i miljöskydd så innebär detta att ett lärande av miljönormer också är ett successivt lärande, som är kopplat till statens uppfattning av sin (roll)funktion i en viss social kontext. Studien föreslår att konstanten gällande lärande, sett ur en arktisk kontext, är uppfattningen om 'den goda samarbetande parten' och dess fortsatta varande. Miljönormer får således gehör i den mån de inkorporeras i föreställningen om vad som utgör - och därmed förväntas av - en sådan part. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3f5c6615-d442-4520-97f2-b6eda43b708e
- author
- Engstrand, Sandra LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Research professor Tennberg, Monica, University of Lapland
- organization
- publishing date
- 2018
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Learning, international cooperation, role theory, arguing, symbolic interactionism, environmental norms, the Arctic Council, the Arctic, International relation (IR)
- in
- Lund Political Studies
- issue
- 190
- pages
- 251 pages
- publisher
- Lund University
- defense location
- Niagara, auditorium, C (E011), Nordenskiöldsgatan 1, Malmö
- defense date
- 2018-04-20 10:15:00
- ISSN
- 0460-0037
- ISBN
- 978-91-7753-618-5
- 978-91-7104-908-7
- 978-91-7753-619-2
- 978-91-7104-909-4
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 3f5c6615-d442-4520-97f2-b6eda43b708e
- date added to LUP
- 2018-03-27 14:44:58
- date last changed
- 2021-09-10 12:54:37
@phdthesis{3f5c6615-d442-4520-97f2-b6eda43b708e,
abstract = {{This study investigates state interaction as a social learning process, where the ultimate aim is to enhance an understanding on how states learn of environmental norms. An entry into the domain on such learning processes is offered through a Constructivist approach and more specifically through the employment of a role theoretical perspective; a role here is signified as a state's repertory of behavior and its social position within a group. Attention has been devoted to states' ego- and alter expectations, which provide access to how states reflect and deliberate regarding their preferred behavior, when also taking into account those behavioral/normative prescriptions found in the social context, and in others' expectations. To enhance an understanding on how states learn of environmental norms, investigations and discussions are carried out on the links between: learning and expectations, environmental protection and fossil energy interests, and learning and role changes. <br/><br/>Furthermore, such discussions are linked to the Arctic context, and more precisely to state interaction within the Arctic Council. This intergovernmental forum - dedicated to sustainable development and environmental protection - has eight Arctic states as founding members: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the U.S. In this study, each state's role is mapped through a text analysis, of foremost Senior Arctic Official's meeting minutes during the period 1999-2016. Two specific negotiation processes (2013-2015) are then investigated from a micro perspective, focusing on the question of how states learn. These negotiations are on oil spill prevention and the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants, respectively. Three theoretical conclusions are drawn: firstly; roles in international relations are stable but flexible, thus adaptive; secondly, the flexible dimension of roles is activated in relation to understanding - to which degree states understand their social context to contain behavioral prescriptions, and thirdly; states cannot learn in a speedier and more thorough manner than the role allows for flexing. For the progression of environmental protection, learning about such norms are thus suggested to be successive learning, connected to states' expectations of their (role) purpose within a social context. Moreover, it is suggested that conceptions of being a good cooperator is superior, why learning of environmental norms also is connected to understandings of what would constitute such an actor.}},
author = {{Engstrand, Sandra}},
isbn = {{978-91-7753-618-5}},
issn = {{0460-0037}},
keywords = {{Learning; international cooperation; role theory; arguing; symbolic interactionism; environmental norms; the Arctic Council; the Arctic; International relation (IR)}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{190}},
publisher = {{Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lund Political Studies}},
title = {{State Learning and Role Playing : International environmental cooperation in the Arctic Council}},
year = {{2018}},
}