One challenge in international cooperation is to actually enforce joint decisions. The so-called "naming and shaming" principle is a central mechanism for this purpose in many international agreements. Put simply, those who do not do enough are publicly exposed for it. However, little research has been done on the factors that influence the success of this "naming and shaming" strategy and move states toward greater willingness to cooperate.

Prof. Dr. Astrid Dannenberg and Marcel Lumkowsky from the Department of Environmental and Behavioral Economics at the University of Kassel have addressed this question in a newly published study. Specifically, they investigated the conditions under which "naming and shaming" can help ensure that states live up to the pledges they made under the Paris Climate Agreement. "The success of the agreement depends on a functioning "naming and shaming" mechanism. Stronger punitive measures, such as trade sanctions, are explicitly not foreseen in the Paris Agreement," explains Marcel Lumkowsky.

The study is based on a survey of more than 900 experts in the field of international climate policy - including negotiators involved in shaping the 2015 Paris climate agreement and scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The results show that "naming and shaming" is considered legitimate and effective primarily by those countries that have efficient political institutions and in whose social discourse the issue of climate change plays an important role. "Even if these countries are already partly on a good track, it is important that the strategy works, as the ambition of the climate targets still needs to be increased significantly in the coming years," explains Prof. Dannenberg. In other countries, however, the strategy appears to be less effective. "Here, further enforcement mechanisms are needed for successful global cooperation," Prof. Dannenberg continues.  

This research is of great importance for the perception and further development of international climate policy. In the media and in the public debate, the Paris climate goals are referred to very often, the enforcement of the goals is discussed rather rarely, but is as important as the goals themselves.

The paper was written in collaboration with Prof. David Victor and Emily Carlton from the University of California, San Diego and has been published in the prestigious journal PNAS.

More information:

The paper, "Naming and Shaming as a Strategy for Enforcing the Paris Agreement: The Role of Political Institutions and Public Concern," was published last week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS): https: //www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2305075120

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Astrid Dannenberg
University of Kassel
Department of Economics
Department of Environmental and Behavioral Economics
Tel: 0561 804-3758
E-mail: dannenberg[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

The article can be found here.