The Socialization Potential of the CDM in EU-Vietnam Climate Relations

This article argues that the material incentives associated with climate policies such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) may contribute to the socialization of emerging economies such as Vietnam in economic-oriented climate change norms. In current academic research, the CDM has both been extolled as a cost-effective and vilified as an environmentally inadequate instrument. Few studies so far, however, have looked into the CDM's potential contribution to socialization-related phenomena such as raising climate change awareness. This article aims to fill that gap by studying the CDM in EU-Vietnam relations in four periods, namely initiation (2001-2007), improvement (2008-2010, consolidation (2010-2012) and potential habit formation (2012 and beyond), with both the EU and Vietnam being important players in the market for CDM credits (Certified Emission Reductions or CERs). We argue that there is at least a strong potential for habit formation resulting from the CDM's material incentives, and that the underlying causal mechanism involves the emergence and activities of norm entrepreneurs and habit formation through a process of legal institutionalization.

Publication year:2016

BOF-keylabel:yes

IOF-keylabel:yes

BOF-publication weight:6

CSS-citation score:1

Authors from:Higher Education

Accessibility:Closed