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Secretariat Influence on Overlap Management Politics in N orth A merica: NAFTA and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Author(s) -
Jinnah Sikina,
Lindsay Abby
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
review of policy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1541-1338
pISSN - 1541-132X
DOI - 10.1111/ropr.12106
Subject(s) - negotiation , politics , commission , process (computing) , public administration , european commission , international trade , political science , business , law , european union , computer science , operating system
This paper examines how overlap between trade and environmental issues are managed under the N orth A merican F ree T rade A greement, and specifically the role that the C ommission for E nvironmental C ooperation ( CEC ) Secretariat plays in this process. We demonstrate how the CEC Secretariat has influenced trade–environment politics, primarily through knowledge brokering in ways that build state capacity to collaborate across borders on trade‐environment issues. Specifically, we demonstrate how the Secretariat has influenced decisions related to budget allocations, cooperative activities between member states, the creation of new institutions, and evaluating allegations of parties' failures to enforce environmental laws. Moreover, we argue that this case raises important questions concerning the appropriate role of secretariats in international politics and has important policy implications with several new secretariats currently being set up under the burgeoning number of regional trade agreements under negotiation by the U nited S tates and many others.