ABSTRACT

The field of environmental political economy (EPE) seeks to understand the complex interplay of economy and environment at local, national, and global scales. There are multiple approaches to EPE, offering diverging interpretations of the causes of environmental degradation as well as on the most promising solutions. Some scholars focus their analysis on the ways in which economic activity affects environmental outcomes, while others concentrate their efforts on the political challenges of designing and implementing economic policy tools to address environmental problems. EPE dynamics are also shaped by the uneven exercise of power and the norms guiding different political institutions.