Doctoral Dissertation Research: Environmental Agencies and their Effective Monitoring of the Hydrocarbon Sector

Clark University, Worcester MA

Investigators

Abstract

In order to control the risk of severe socioecological impacts related to hydrocarbon extraction, enforcement of environmental laws on the part of state agencies is needed. This doctoral dissertation research project will investigate the role of the state in the governance of natural resource extraction by examining the practices of environmental law enforcement in the hydrocarbon sector. The project will contribute to a better understanding of environmental law implementation across time and space as well as the role of the state in influencing the socioecological consequences of resource extraction. It will generate new insights in resource and legal geography by empirically assessing the complex relationships of environmental law enforcement and the role played by the state in the extractive sector. The doctoral student will work with national and regional government agencies, social organizations, and international nongovernment organizations to disseminate project findings. The project will inform policy-makers, government officials, academics, and environmental advocacy groups globally who seek to minimize the negative impacts of hydrocarbon extraction. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career. The doctoral student will investigate empirically the relationship between institutional capacity, autonomy and the enforcement of environmental laws related to the hydrocarbon sector by taking into account the interplay among the different actors and agencies involved. She will address three core questions: (1) How have increased budgets and regulatory competence led to enhanced autonomy and capacity in the practice of environmental monitoring? (2) What are the conditions under which such institutional changes have translated into successful monitoring of the hydrocarbon sector? (3) How do these processes and patterns vary across space? The student will analyze databases on the institutional capacity and monitoring as well as conflictive and cooperative inter-agency relationships within Ecuador. The analyses should yield a better understanding of the patterns of autonomy, capacity, and monitoring functions of the state agencies as well as enable a comparison of their effectiveness across jurisdictional units.