This book examines how different countries define and address environmental issues, specifically in relation to intergovernmental relations: the creation of institutions, the assignment of powers, and the success of alternative solutions.

Contents: Preface 1. Introduction Albert Breton, Giorgio Brosio, Silvana Dalmazzone and Giovanna Garrone PART I: FEDERAL AND SUPRANATIONAL SYSTEMS 2. Australia: Preserving Biodiversity and Managing Water Resources Jeffrey D. Petchey 3. Economic Growth and Environmental Protection in Brazil: An Unfavourable Trade-off Clóvis Cavalcanti 4. Interdependence and Coordination in the Canadian Environmental Policy Process Marcia Valiante 5. Ethiopia: Protecting Nature in a Developing Decentralized Country Gedion Asfaw, Kifle Lemma and Sebsebe Demissew 6. European Union: Shifting Environmental Governance to the Supranational Level Anthony R. Zito 7. Environmental Institutions in Germany: Leader or Laggard? Stefanie Engel and Melanie Zimmermann 8. Overlapping Fiscal Domains and the Effectiveness of Environmental Policy in India Subrata Mandal and M. Govinda Rao 9. Russia: The Difficult Transition to Stable Environmental Institutions Pavel V. Kasyanov and Aliona V. Stovpivskaya 10. The Political Economy of Environmental Governance in the United States Jason F. Shogren PART II: NON-FEDERAL COUNTRIES 11. Chile: The Development–Sustainability Dilemma Tommaso Chiamparino, Laura Piazza and Irene Venturello 12. China: Seeking Meaningful Decentralization to Achieve Sustainability Changhua Wu and Hua Wang 13. The Danish Communes: Capacities and Constraints in Environmental Management Mikael Skou Andersen 14. France: Forces Shaping Centralization and Decentralization in Environmental Policymaking Albert Breton and Pierre Salmon 15. Capacity Constraints on Local Government Environmental Policies in Ghana Felix Ankomah Asante 16. Italy: Towards Responsibility-sharing in Environmental Protection Ivana Capozza and Giovanna Garrone 17. The Netherlands: An Integrated, Participatory Approach to Environmental Policymaking Duncan Liefferink and Mark Wiering 18. United Kingdom: Environmental Policymaking in a Centralised, Market-driven System Stephen Smith 19. Trends in Environmental Governance: Evidence from Seventeen Countries and Sundry Reflections Thereon Albert Breton, Giorgio Brosio, Silvana Dalmazzone and Giovanna Garrone Index