The Global Spread of Environmental Ministries: Domestic–International Interactions

Environmental ministries have become increasingly common, but the determinants of their global spread remain only partially understood. We develop a theory of domestic–international interactions in the global adoption of environmental ministries. We argue that domestic factors can sensitize a country to different types of international influence: foreign pressure, external support for capacity building, and learning effects. Empirically, we examine the global spread of environmental ministries, 1960–2009. We find that countries have strong incentives to establish environmental ministries when they are undergoing a democratic transition and environmental problems are salient at the international level. In other words, the democratization of a country allows international factors to promote the formation of a national environmental ministry. The findings contribute to the study of domestic–international linkages and help understand global trends in environmental governance during a period of unprecedented environmental destruction.环境部（environmental ministries）的设立已日趋普遍，但其全球扩散的决定因素仍仅得到部分阐释。本研究构建了一套关于各国采纳环境部过程中国内-国际互动的理论框架。我们提出，国内因素能够提升一国对三类国际影响的感知敏感度：外部施压、能力建设外援，以及学习效应。实证层面，我们考察了1960年至2009年间环境部的全球扩散历程。研究发现，当一国处于民主转型阶段且环境问题在国际层面受到高度关注时，该国设立环境部的动机尤为强烈。换言之，一国的民主化进程能够让国际因素有效推动本国环境部的设立。本研究成果丰富了国内-国际关联领域的研究，并有助于理解在环境破坏史无前例的时代背景下，全球环境治理的发展趋势。