There are considerable differences in environmental performance and outcomes across both democracies and autocracies, but there is little understanding of how levels of democracy and autocracy influence environmental performance. This book examines whether analysing the effects of individual democratic features separately can contribute to a better understanding of cross-national variance in environmental performance. The authors show that levels of social equality in particular, as well as the strength of local and regional democracy, contribute significantly to explaining cross-national variation in environmental performance. On the other hand, a high level of political corruption affects a country’s ability to adopt and implement environmental policies effectively. In exploring the inter-relationship between democratic qualities, political corruption, and environmental performance, this book presents policymakers and political theorists with a clear picture of which aspects of democratic societies are most conducive to producing a better environment. 

Romy Escher is a research assistant at the Institute of Political Science of the University of Regensburg, Germany. Her research interests include Climate Policy, Comparative Policy Analysis, and empirical research methods.
Melanie Walter-Rogg is Professor of Political Science and Methodology at the University of Regensburg, Germany. She has co-edited The Political Ecology of the Metropolis (2013) and authored a number of articles and book chapters on Public Policy Analysis, Metropolitan Governance, Urban Democracy as well as Political Culture and Political Behaviour.