Governing Climate Change: Lessons from other Governance Regimes

© Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 2009. All rights reserved. This chapter examines the participation of developing countries in rule-making, monitoring, verification, and enforcement of climate change mitigation measures and the lessons that can be learned from other governance regimes. Developing countries are concerned that a small group of powerful, industrialised countries will mostly 'do' the regulating, leaving them highly constrained, but marginalised, with little influence or control over the rules and their application. The chapter explains why developing countries might be concerned and what kinds of arrangements might reduce the risk that they will be marginalised from arrangements. It also considers governance issues that have to be addressed in the ongoing climate change negotiations, including the use of direct incentives to ensure participation, the structure of formal decision-making, and supporting national processes and national priority-setting. Finally, it discusses the challenges of monitoring and enforcement.