Political Regimes and Climate Change: Learning from Past Civilisations

Autor: Brian Grodsky
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Global Environment, Vol 17, Iss 3, Pp 614-649 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1973-3739
2053-7352
DOI: 10.3828/whpge.63837646622499
Popis: As the world is threatened by new and powerful climate-driven hazards, how are states and societies likely to react? In this paper, I explore the role of regime type in determining the likelihood of state survival under extreme environmental conditions. I begin with a theoretical and empirical analysis of public goods provision under different regime types, finding no evidence for the contention that any one particular regime is superior to others. Following from this, I argue that the survival of the state under increased hazard conditions will at least partly be a function of political flexibility, with more democratic regimes better able to weather crisis than non-democratic ones. I explore this argument by analysing two historical cases of climate change: the non-democratic Maya civilisation in the first millennium and the quasi-democratic Icelandic state at the start of the second millennium. These historical cases highlight potential advantages to the democratic system in allowing states to survive a world with increased hazards but also underscore how rising competition and political instability can negatively impact those same democratic institutions.
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