Skip to Main Content

Post-Treaty Politics: Secretariat Influence in Global Environmental Governance

Online ISBN:
9780262325356
Print ISBN:
9780262028042
Publisher:
The MIT Press
Book

Post-Treaty Politics: Secretariat Influence in Global Environmental Governance

Sikina Jinnah
Sikina Jinnah
American University
Find on
Published:
28 November 2014
Online ISBN:
9780262325356
Print ISBN:
9780262028042
Publisher:
The MIT Press

Abstract

Post-Treaty Politics argues that secretariats—the administrative arms of international treaties—matter in world politics. Centrally, this book argues that in drawing from their unique networks and knowledge, secretariats emerge not simply as state functionaries or appendages, but as actors in their own right. The book examines secretariat influence through the lens of overlap management, showing that in the messy world of overlapping treaty regimes, secretariats are well-positioned, skilled, and willing to work through the challenges of overlap management. Although secretariats may not have the coercive power to dictate their will against state preferences, the book demonstrates how they influence political outcomes in ways that reflect constitutive forms of power. For example, secretariats change power relations between states by (re)defining governance architectures/institutions, altering relationships by redistributing capabilities, and shaping shared norms and ideas. The book also explains the factors that condition secretariat influence, arguing when secretariat functions enjoy low substitutability and state preferences are weakly solidified, secretariats can influence politics in these ways. Post-Treaty Politics thus uncovers not only how and when secretariats exert influence, but also why such influence matters in world politics

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close