The paper discusses the concept of a "global administrative space" in environmental governance,
focusing on two treaty systems: the UNFCCC and the CBD. Using survey data and social
network analysis, we examine policy-oriented cooperation and information exchange among
over 1,000 organizations involved in these frameworks environmental policy networks. Key
findings include:
1. There is evidence of the emergence of a global environmental administrative space
characterized by networks of international public administrations, national and sub-national
bureaucracies, NGOs, businesses, and research institutions. This administrative space facilitates
collaboration and knowledge sharing, thereby contributing to the formulation and
implementation of global environmental policies.
2. International public administrations, especially the UNFCCC and CBD secretariats, occupy
central positions within these transnational climate and biodiversity policy networks. Their
involvement is characterized by substantial bureaucratic autonomy combined with a high level of
integration with administrative and non-administrative actors across different governance levels.
3) The presence and roles of organizations differ between the climate and biodiversity policy
networks, with NGOs demonstrating varying degrees of integration. While private sector
involvement is less pronounced in these networks, organizations like the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) exhibit dual characteristics (both NGO and IO), suggesting
complexity in the organizational landscape of global environmental governance.
This study contributes to the broader understanding of how structural features of global
administrative networks shape environmental polic
