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The International Joint Commission, Water Levels, and Transboundary Governance in the G reat L akes
Author(s) -
Clamen Murray,
Macfarlane Daniel
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.12107
Subject(s) - commission , joint (building) , corporate governance , international waters , political science , european commission , environmental planning , business , public administration , environmental resource management , environmental science , international trade , law , european union , finance , engineering , civil engineering
This article provides a historical background of the evolution of transboundary water governance and environmental diplomacy in the G reat L akes– S t. L awrence basin, with a focus on the I nternational J oint C ommission ( IJC ), during the twentieth century. This study focuses on water quantity issues, such as diversions, canals, hydroelectric developments, control works, and water levels, revealing the range of artificial and natural impacts on water levels in the G reat L akes– S t. L awrence basin. Doing so provides for a revealing examination of the IJC , which has traditionally been the main forum in which C anada and the U nited S tates manage their environmental relations and border water issues, which allows for an engagement with a range of N orth A merican transboundary governance theories. While the IJC is often lauded as a model of transnational environmental cooperation, this paper demonstrates that the evolution of this bilateral institution up to the 1960s is more complicated.