The Emergence of Partnerships for Sustainable Development Theoretical Considerations

1. Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) The Emergence of Partnerships for Sustainable Development Theoretical Considerations Man-San Chan, Aysem Mert, Philipp Pattberg, Frank Biermann 2007 Amsterdam Conference on Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change, 24-26 May 2007

2. Outline • Background • Explanations from existing theories • Patterns of Emergence: • Geographic • Policy Area • Participartory Conclusion • WSSD Type 2 / CSD registered partnerships • Conclusion

3. Background • What are WSSD partnerships? – Why look at them? • Why look at emergence in a Large-N database of WSSD partnerships? • Theory poor, theorising or theory informed?

4. Theoretical Perspectives 1 • FUNCTIONALISM Partnerships emerge from perceived needs. (Arts 2003 / Haas 2004) Partnerships emerge because states are failing. (Biermann & Dingwerth 2004) • NETWORK THEORIES (Börzel 1998) Partnerships emerge because they better coordinate dispersed resources under conditions of globalization. (Reinicke 1997) Partnerships emerge as in response to distribution problems in meso-economic markets (Cutler e.a. 1999)

5. Theoretical Perspectives 2 • INSTITUTIONALISM Partnerships emerge because they are ‘out there’ as best practices. (Lober 1997 / Pattberg 2004) • DISCOURSE Partnerships emerge because a language of inevitability. (Pauly in: Biersteker 2003) • NEO GRAMSCIANISM Partnerships emerge because elites use them to retain and consolidate their positions. (Levy & Newell 2002)

6. Patterns of Emergence • Contradictory theoretical explanations  They cannot be equally as true! • Partnership as a normative idea “Partnerships should / should not emerge”  Need for empirical backing! • Theories discussed assume specific implications for patterns of emergence of partnerships: • Geographic • Policy area • Participatory

7. Geographic Patterns of Emergence

8. Policy Area Patterns of Emergence

9. Participatory Patterns of Emergence

10. CSD Partnerships: Patterns of Emergence • GEOGRAPHIC High number in Indonesia & South Africa (Andonova & Levy 2003)  relation with intergovernmental process • POLICY AREA Low interest for urgent issues like food security, biodiversity and fresh water; higher interest for capacity building and information for decision making. Sudden rise of number of water related partnerships in 2005  relation with intergovernmental process • PARTICIPATORY Meagre business involvement, in spite of initial support. Underrepresented major groups, no reflection of a ‘vibrant civil society’

11. Conclusions • Many theories, few empirical support; need for a larger N analysis • Systematic formulation of hypotheses for statistical analyses • Different theories assume different patterns of emergence, that can be tested by looking at the actual patterns of emergence • Too early to conclude on CSD registred partnerships, however, hypotheses from functionalism and network theories seem to not to be as robust as some suggest • We expect differences across countries and political systems • The CSD partnerships patterns of emergence suggest a link to intergovernmental agendas

12. Thank you! • Man-san Chan • (Partners Research Project) • sander.chan@ivm.vu.nl • VU University • Institute for Environmental Studies • De Boelelaan 1087 • 1081 HV Amsterdam