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Ratnatunga, Shehan Tissa Mahendra (2012) Do countries adopt a mimicry process to tackle the issue of climate change? An international comparative analysis of the carbon economy with specific reference to the EU, Australia, China and Indonesia. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)] (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Climate change is a serious and urgent issue caused by the increasing greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere from human activities. The changes in the physical world resulting from rising global temperatures are likely, if anything, to be more harmful than earlier believed. The Kyoto Protocol was the first international treaty signed in 1998 which attempted to address the adverse impacts of climate change by committing ratifying countries to attaining agreed targets on emissions reduction. As there is no mandatory prescription for a decarbonising policy framework, a wide variety of carbon-reducing policy instruments can be observed in different countries each with its own different compliance requirements.

The objective of this research study was to understand if national governments adopt a mimicry approach when developing a set of structures and practices in responding to the climate change issue as expected by the institutional isomorphism form of Neo-institutional theory. By selecting the EU and Australia to represent the developed economies and China and Indonesia to represent the developing nations, this study adopted a Neo-institutional framework to identify the influences of local institutions in defining how governments develop such response measures.

The study finds that at present, there is no indication of consistent mimicry process adopted by governments in responding to the climate change issue. The access to capital assets and the perceived levels of risks differ from each economy. Therefore national carbon policies are being developed by governments targeted at the key causes of their respective high emission levels and so as they will have minimal impacts on national interests. However, as the carbon field becomes more mature and more late-adopting countries join the climate movement, the degree of convergence in decarbonisation policies amongst countries will increase driving isomorphic diffusion.

Item Type:	Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)
Depositing User:	EP, Services
Date Deposited:	08 Jan 2013 09:27
Last Modified:	28 Dec 2017 03:36
URI:	https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/25605

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