‘Good’ Governance and Reports of Ongoing Environmental Conflicts

• In Event: Climate Crises, Violence and Governance

Abstract

This study explored the relationships between several well-known governance indicators and the number of unresolved environmental conflicts reported within 149 countries from 2002 to 2014. Following exploratory analysis of documented conflicts within the Environmental Justice Atlas, models were tested regressing national case counts against the Worldwide Governance Indicators and demographic control variables. Regression analysis revealed several governance variables with significant influence on conflict counts, including indices for political voice and accountability, governmental effectiveness, rule of law, and control of corruption. This study finds that the number of unresolved environmental conflicts that are reported in a given country year are strongly influenced by the perceived quality of governance in that time and place, which suggests that countries can more effectively manage environmental conflicts by making alterations to their national governance contexts.

Author

• Jolyon Garrett Tucker Larson, University of Vermont