Decentralization, national context and environmental policy performance: a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis

Area of Science:

• Environmental Policy and Governance
• Comparative Politics
• Public Administration

Background:

• Understanding the drivers of effective environmental policy performance is crucial for sustainable development.
• Decentralization is increasingly adopted globally, but its impact on environmental outcomes is complex and context-dependent.
• Existing research often overlooks the interplay between different forms of decentralization and national contextual factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between three dimensions of decentralization (political, fiscal, administrative) and environmental policy performance.
• To identify distinct pathways and configurations of decentralization and national context leading to high or low environmental policy performance.
• To provide actionable insights for policymakers on optimizing decentralization strategies for environmental governance.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional data analysis from 118 countries.
• Multiple regression analysis to assess the impact of decentralization dimensions.
• Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore configurational pathways.

Main Results:

• Political, fiscal, and administrative decentralization have varied effects on environmental policy performance.
• Multiple configurations of decentralization and national context lead to varying levels of environmental policy success.
• High performance is associated with fiscal and administrative decentralization within favorable contexts (advanced economy, good governance, strict regulations).
• Low performance often results from fiscal centralization, irrespective of other decentralization forms, particularly in unfavorable contexts.

Conclusions:

• The effectiveness of decentralization in environmental policy is contingent on its specific form and the national context.
• A configurational approach, considering the interplay of decentralization types and contextual factors, is essential for effective environmental governance.
• Policymakers should tailor decentralization strategies to specific national contexts for improved environmental outcomes.