Societal Transition and Environmental Governance in Eastern and Central Europe

Abstract

This panel will focus on three sets of research areas: 1) Environmental order and structural settings 2) Environmental policy-making and implementation 3) Political legitimacy, value systems, and agenda setting The environmental order in a particular society in terms of, for example, decision-making, institutionalization, and administration is determined by, on the one hand, existing value systems, opportunities to participate in democratic activities, the openness of regulative system and, on the other hand, by the ways in which the governing system produces policies and effectuates the political outcomes. The value systems regarding different kinds of environmental issues have profoundly influenced the public debate in several of the countries in Eastern and Central Europe in the last decade. The precarious environmental situation in many regions has in combination with the urge for political reconstruction created a distinct setting for political decision-making. Furthermore, influences from international contexts have had an important impact on several aspects of this issue-area. The approximation process towards the European Union has been at the centre of the political discourse of the applicant countries, international financial institutions have influenced the availability of financial resources significantly, and bilateral support programs have created a web of international interactions and dependencies. The administrative systems in most of these countries have at the same time been characterized by a scarcity of resources in terms of financial funds, expertise, and organizational capacity, thus making implementation problematic. Many kinds of environmental issues are moreover very complex in their nature, making both management and dissemination of public information challenging. The legitimacy of the political process to a large extent depends on the continuous balancing of the fulfilment of the democratic values and decision-making efficiency. Furthermore, the outcome of this process in Eastern and Central Europe influences continuously existing value systems, public demand for environmental abatement, and the stability of administrative institutions, as well as the democratic system as such. The main goal of this panel is thus to describe, explain, and evaluate the different styles of environmental governance in contemporary Eastern and Central Europe, and their impact on other areas of democratic institutions in these countries.

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