Climate Policy Costs, Regional Identity, Backlash to International Cooperation

• In Event: Mini-Conference on Politics in Post-industrial Societies II: Climate Scepticism and Changing Cleavages of Climate Politics

Abstract

International political economy scholars are increasingly interested in how the subnational patterns of major economic adjustments such as trade investment and environmental reforms fuel public opposition to international institutions that are meant to catalyze those adjustments. But while the literature has sharpened the understanding of material policy costs and its implications for public opinion, the impact of less material considerations—for example, the political perceptions of places with specific subnational identity—is still largely unexplained. In this paper, we explore if and how vulnerability to climate policy, which pushes communities to lash out against collective action solutions for decarbonization, is moderated by a sense of strong regional identities, which may induce a lower appreciation for national/local policy and a larger appreciation for international ambition. We present new surveys from the United Kingdom that assess if and how communities with different sensitivities to distributive climate policy costs and subnational identities form varying preferences for international cooperation. Our study of 3,000 individuals from three different geographically targeted areas give validity of our argument and highlight the importance that new climate-related cleavages among politically relevant constituencies can have on international integration.

Authors

• Patrick Bayer, University of Glasgow

• Federica Genovese, University of Oxford