We illustrate how the two mid-sized post-socialist eastern German cities Potsdam and Rostock have managed to become climate pioneers, despite being located in regions that have been reluctant with regard to climate action. Drawing on municipal documentation and fieldwork interviews, we show how...

We examine how local socioeconomic, institutional and political factors shape climate transformation pathways in 23 mid-sized German cities. We group our cities into three types: industrial cities (which may have experienced recent structural change), historic cities (in which a significant...

This article analyzes and compares the climate policy and transformation pathways of the forerunner cities Turku (Finland), Groningen (The Netherlands), Rostock, and Potsdam (both located in Germany). Our study combines an international comparison of cities located in three different countries...

Drawing on data for the 104 largest German cities, and deeper analysis of six mid-sized cities (including forerunners, followers and latecomers in climate mitigation and adaptation), we find that the spread of local mitigation and adaptation strategies across Germany can be explained by a...

Mit dem Vergleich zweier unterschiedlicher Systeme von Umweltzeichen, stellt diese Studie ein Politikinstrument ins Zentrum, das eine sehr viel schnellere Verbreitung gefunden hat als andere Politikinnovationen. Verglichen wird die Diffusion zweier unterschiedlicher Typen von...

The study deals with eco-labeling systems that have spread faster than other types of new policy instruments. The paper focuses on the diffusion of two different types of eco-labels: (1) general eco-labeling systems such as the German Blue Angel (Blauer Engel), and (2) the Forest Stewardship...

The subject of this paper is the importance of the diffusion of environmental innovations between countries for the global development of environmental policy. Empirical observation has shown that national environmental initiatives are often rapidly adopted by other countries; thus, these...

Das Verhältnis zwischen den Politikebenen im Mehrebenensystem der USA kann durch drei Typen charakterisiert werden: erstens die zentrale Regulierung, d.h. die hierarchische Koordination der Politikebenen. Zweitens die dezentrale Regulierung, die sowohl den regulativen Wettbewerb als auch die...

For over a decade climate change has been considered one of the most significant political issues facing the international community. In order to address this challenge, attention needs to be focused not only at the international level of treaties and conventions, but also on how climate...

Die Umweltpolitik gilt als wichtiger Eckpfeiler rot-grüner Politik in Deutschland. Um deren Erfolg beurteilen zu können, müssen nationale Pfadabhängigkeiten wie auch globale Politikkonvergenzen berücksichtigt werden. Deshalb wird eine Konzeption gewählt, die zwei Dimensionen umfasst: das...