CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Flessa, Marc |
|---|---|
| Title | Governmentality of and in global climate governance: The experiences of non-state actors at the UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties (COP) |
| Summary | It is widely acknowledged that non-state actors play key roles in global (climate) governance. They do so also and in particular at the yearly UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties (COP) where thousands of participants from states, civil society, businesses and the media meet to produce global climate governance. Filling a gap in existing literature, this thesis analyzes the experiences of non-state actors at COP from a perspective of governmentality, paying special attention to how individual conduct is shaped by, represents, (re)produces and potentially challenges wider process and logics of governance. Based on seven semi-structured interviews with non-state actors who have been to at least two COPs, it is argued that by going to COP and engaging in a variety of activities for a variety of goals, non-state actors represent and reproduce the logic of COP as the central institution and process through which climate governance is to be (publicly) conducted. However, meaningful participation often requires long preparations, strategy building and respective knowledge and experience. This factor advantages bigger and more professional groups which (can) adapt their conduct accordingly. While a central feature of COP, physical interactions between participants are shaped by differences in access, the hectic atmosphere and advantage participants with more resources and adapted forms of conduct. COP is also a stage for the theatrical performances of authority and legitimacy. Finally, activism is controlled through both direct and indirect means, including activists' self-disciplining to avoid losing access and negatively reflecting on their organizations. |
| Supervisor | Erzsébet Strausz |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/flessa_marc.pdf |
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