Paper published: ‘Incantatory’ governance - global climate politics’ performative turn and its wider significance for global politicsCSS director Prof. Dr. Stefan Aykut, Dr. Edouard Morena and Dr. Jean Foyer publish article on the performative nature of post-Paris climate governance

15 June 2020, by CSS

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An article on the performative nature of post-Paris climate governance by CSS director Prof. Dr. Stefan Aykut, Dr. Edouard Morena and Dr. Jean Foyer just got published in the journal International Politics. 

The main argument is that existing assessments tend to focus on institutional features of the Paris shift (e.g. the transparency framework, inclusion of non-state actors etc.), but overlook its symbolic and discursive dimensions. The authors find that these are core, as the Paris architecture combines two main elements: an iterative pledge and review process to stimulate global climate action, and performative narratives and moments aimed at aligning actors’ expectations on the prospect of a low-carbon future. The authors therefore suggest calling the approach an ‘incantatory’ system of governance. The authors then examine the origins of the new approach and find that the rise of ‘soft law’ approaches and communicative techniques in global climate governance are both indicative of a broader process: the entry of management culture in international organizations. Against this backdrop, the authors examine the prospects, limitations and caveats of the new approach and discuss its wider implications for global politics.

You can find the complete article here  - it's open access!

Cite the article:
Aykut, S.C., Morena, E. & Foyer, J. ‘Incantatory’ governance: global climate politics’ performative turn and its wider significance for global politics. Int Polit (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-020-00250-8