Collaboration Research: Implications of International Agreements for Laws and Practices in Nation-States

This project creates a database and dashboard of ecosystem guidelines built from expert assessments for 80 countries. Such guidelines have proliferated worldwide, yet no systematic means exists for the comparative study of a nation state's pledges in relation to whether and how these are executed. The data produced allow scholars and analysts to compare ecosystem guidelines and their effects across multiple dimensions in a wide range of nation states.

In addition to releasing the data set for scholarly and expert analysis, graduate students are trained to use the data set. Research findings can be used to inform the development of guidelines that advance national welfare and security.

To deepen understanding, the project assesses national guidelines with respect to practices across the sectors prioritized in international agreements, namely, energy, industry, transportation, agriculture, land use and forestry, buildings, and waste and wastewater. Moreover, the researchers measure dozens of indicators of adaptation in two broad areas: short-term reactions to weather events and longer-term planning for societal resilience.

A survey of at least 10 experts in each of 80 countries chosen from the world’s major regions yields data that allows measurement of nations’ ambitions and claims against expert evaluations. Survey findings are corroborated where possible by extant complementary data. Using this data set, the project seeks answers to multiple research questions, including: 1) What are the determinants of robust guidelines within nation states? 2) What roles do robust guidelines play in determining practices of adaptation and resilience?

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.