Importing Environmentalism: Explaining Petroleos Mexicanos’ Cooperative Climate Policy

Theories of environment and development tend to preemptively strip developing-country firms of environmental agency, depicting them as passive targets of market, regulatory, and ideational influences originating elsewhere. This research examines the processes by and conditions under which developing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Studies in comparative international development 2007-12, Vol.42 (3-4), p.233-255
Main Author: Pulver, Simone
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agency
Channels
Climate
Climate change
Climate policy
Climate science
Decision making
Developing countries
Diffusion
Division
Environmental management
Environmental policy
Environmentalism
Executives
Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases
Industrial development
International
LDCs
Managers
Markets
Mexico
Norms
Oil industry
Petroleum industry
Policies
Pollution control
Private sector
Scanning
Social responsibility
Statistical analysis
Studies
Transnationalism
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Summary:Theories of environment and development tend to preemptively strip developing-country firms of environmental agency, depicting them as passive targets of market, regulatory, and ideational influences originating elsewhere. This research examines the processes by and conditions under which developing-country firms actively "import" environmental norms, programs, and practices, drawing on a case study of Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex)-one of the world's largest oil companies and the only nationally-owned, developing-country oil company that has adopted a cooperative corporate climate policy. The article demonstrates that the company's decision to support action on climate change resulted from efforts by climate policy entrepreneurs within Pemex's environment division. They showed agency in choosing to prioritize the climate issue, in scanning their institutional environment for a climate policy template, in adjusting the template to suit Pemex's particular circumstances, and in promoting the climate policy to internal and external constituencies. The research also highlights the prominent role of private sector channels in processes of environmental norm diffusion.
ISSN:0039-3606
1936-6167
DOI:10.1007/s12116-007-9010-8