The Legitimacy of Leadership in Climate Change

What is it about?

In this study, we aim at answering two questions that are crucial for understanding the legitimacy of leadership in international climate change negotiations. We seek first to chart which actors are actually recognized as leaders by climate change negotiation participants, and then aim to explain what motivates COP participants to support different actors as leaders. Our results show that the leadership landscape in this issue area is fragmented, with no one clear-cut leader, and strongly suggest that it is imperative for any actor seeking recognition as climate change leader to be perceived as being devoted to promoting the common good.

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