Does good governance have a positive effect on environmental performance?: a cross-national analysis of developing countries

Abstract

In a small but growing body of literature in the social and environmental sciences, scholars debate the effect of democracy on environmental governance. Some argue that democracy reduces environmental degradation while others claim that it does not. Currently, empirical evidence is limited and there isn’t much certainty around whether a clear-cut causation exists between the two. This research report examines whether the quality of governance and institutional structures have an impact on environmental policy execution, specifically in developing countries. Today, ecological destruction and resource scarcity are some of the most challenging issues faced by countries in the global South. Environmental regimes may well be apart of the problem and solution to solving environmental crises. To address the weakness of using a single environmental indicator, this paper uses a measure that includes 24 different environmental pressures (eg. tree cover loss, air pollution, water and sanitation, air quality and biodiversity) known as the Environmental Performance Index(EPI). A cross-national analysis is conducted to test whether dimensions of good governance have an effect on the environmental policy performance of developing countries for 2018. The analysis also includes a dichotomous democracy measure that tests whether democratic regimes perform better in terms of environmental policy performance than non-democratic countries. Government effectiveness and regulatory quality are shown to be positive and significant in effecting the outcome of environmental performance, all else being equal. Insignificant scores for regime type (dummy variable) and voice and accountability suggest that democracy is yet to have an effect on environmental policy performance in developing countries. The central finding is that democracy alone is a weak predictor of environmental policy performance. The nested cased analysis provides further explanation on this finding and contests whether the empirical results are able to reveal the unique political contexts in both Equatorial Guinea and Namibia