ABSTRACT
The core assumption of model I is that states can, for analytical purposes, be conceived as unitary rational actors maximising net national welfare. Applied to environmental management, this assumption basically implies that a state will pursue environmental protection up to the point where its marginal costs of abatement equals its marginal damage costs, and no further. In some cases compliance may bring benefits other than a reduction in environmental damage costs or the development of new technology. The damage cost reduction stemming from compliance with an international environmental agreement results in part from changes in one’s own behaviour, in part from changes in the behaviour of one’s partners. Regulatory policy tends to impose costs upon those whose behaviour is to be changed, and the targets of environmental regulations are normally societal actors. Basic assumption of the domestic politics model is that supply and demand are interrelated driving forces.
