Domestic sources of international environmental policy: Industry, environmentalists, and United States power

One important source of international regulation is the internationalization of regulations that one state has already undertaken. This project investigates U.S. domestic environmental regulations relating to protection of endangered species, prevention of air pollution, and preservation of global fisheries to determine under what conditions a decision will be taken to attempt to gain acceptance of these regulations internationally, and when they will actually be adopted internationally. It shows that a U.S. government decision to internationalize domestic environmental regulations happens when domestic environmental and economic interests both benefit from the adoption by other states of the U.S. regulations in question. These groups work for similar policies for different reasons. Environmentalists want to broaden regulations to make sure that all actors that threaten the resources in question are regulated. Industry actors want to ensure that they do not suffer a competitive disadvantage from bearing the costs of environmental regulations that their foreign competitors do not have to uphold. Where their interests converge, the U.S. works for internationalization. Success in convincing others to adopt the regulations depends on the market power the U.S. has over the target states within the issue area in question. As such, this project shows the importance of power in international environmental policy, but only a specific type of power: the amount by which the target state depends on U.S. markets for export of the goods that are threatened. Moreover, the shape of the domestic coalition at the first stage determines the types of threats that will be made. Because the industry partner in the domestic coalition that passes internationalizing legislation does so out of concern for its competitive advantage, it works to prevent U.S. imports of the regulated goods for other states that do not accept internationalized regulations. It is therefore possible to predict which regulations the U.S. will work to internationalize, in what way, and with what level of success. This phenomenon can be observed on other issues and for other states as well, providing one explanation for the emergence and form of international regulation.