Constitutional Commitments, Civic Consequences: Environmental Provisions and Youth Eco-Citizenship Across 22 Countries

• In Event: Environmental Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 17: Community, Place, and Local Engagement

Abstract

While an increasing number of countries have embedded environmental provisions in their constitutions (EPICs), it remains unclear whether these legal commitments are associated with more environmentally informed and civically engaged citizens. Although prior research has emphasized transnational civil society actors – particularly environmental international non-governmental organizations (EINGOs) – as key agents for diffusing global environmental norms, the role of constitutional commitments has received comparatively little empirical attention. This study examines both mechanisms of world society and their associations with environmental learning and civic outcomes. Using data from the 2016 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS), which includes 81,069 students across 22 countries, hierarchical linear models show that countries with EPICs provide more opportunities for students to learn about environmental issues (OTLEI) and have young citizens who demonstrate stronger support for eco-citizenship. These findings suggest that EPICs shape environmental citizenship through two complementary channels: directly, by embedding environmental values within national legal and educational frameworks, and indirectly, by fostering learning environments that promote environmental awareness and engagement. In contrast, EINGO membership does not predict either outcome. The results extend world society theory by highlighting the distinctive role of constitutional commitments in institutionalizing environmental norms within state systems of education and civic formation.

Authors

• Darren Rabinowitz, Columbia University

• Oren Pizmony-Levy, Teachers College-Columbia University