When: Thursday, 20 November 2025, 17:00 - 18:30
Where: Multifunktionsraum, Department of Political Science, NIG, 2nd floor, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna
Speaker: Henrik Selin (Boston University), Noelle Selin (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge)
Moderation: Alice Vadrot (Department of Political Science, University of Vienna)
Discussion: Patrick Müller (Department of Political Science, University of Vienna)
Abstract:
In a current book project, we develop and apply a new analytical framework for studying how parties to global environmental treaties assess their effectiveness in four areas of stratospheric ozone depletion, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, and climate change have conducted effectiveness evaluations. We introduce our four-step analytical framework and use it to examine how the parties to the Stockholm Convention of POPs have carried out multiple rounds of effectiveness evaluations with the aim of better understanding whether the treaty is working. We detail how the parties to the Stockholm Convention have organized and adjusted effectiveness evaluations over time. We find that treaty effectiveness evaluations are best understood as political and dynamic processes influenced by parties’ interests, which may change over time, as well as scientific and technical knowledge.
