The objective of this study is to identify factors determining the performance of natural resource management by local users in a post-Soviet context, using the case of irrigation in Azerbaijan. By examining the activity of six water user associations and assessing the role played by the local environment in their success or failure, this study aims to contribute to a better understanding of constraints on modern irrigation management in a post-Soviet context. The study explores external variables for WUA performance in post- Soviet Azerbaijan. The research draws on theoretical insight from both collective action theory and historical institutionalism. In a first step, I ask the question of “How do water user associations in Azerbaijan perform? Are we looking at a 'story of success' or at a 'story of failure?” In a second step, the main research question - “How do external factors influence the performance of water user associations in Azerbaijan?” - is answered by applying a methodological framework to qualitative interview data generated in expert interviews. The results confirm the findings of previous studies that the post-Soviet context presents particular challenges to participatory irrigation management. Whereas the broader legal and policy environment seems to be favorable for WUA establishment, both formal and informal Soviet legacies can be identified as impeding factors. Old powers still prove to be in place, old paths still seem to play a role, and the emergence of farmer participation is slow and challenged by a number of constraints.

The task of reaching a more sustainable kind of economic process is narrowly related with a double problem: up to date most societies have pursued an explicit strategy of economic growth, although its successes are now disappearing and, at a closer look, its negative ecological and social side effects appear to be even growing. The first part of this article contrasts the ambiguity of the growth concept with a concept of social welfare, which aims at a more qualitative kind of growth, considering the available natural and social capital as well. It will become clear that even GDP as a traditional and politically crucial indicator for the success or failure of a country’s economic development necessarily gives ambiguous signals if one looks at this parameter of the national accounts by the light of a sustainable development. More recent calculations of the national welfare index for Germany (NWI) result in some interesting discussion lines: the aggregated progress of 19 variables shows an significant difference in its development: between 2000 and 2007, the NWI tends to fall in comparison with GDP/GNI (gross national income). This discrepancy is to be seen as evidence of the fact that there might be an increasing economic growth even without any improvement in welfare. Quite on the contrary, in the years 2008 – 2009 the NWI does not seem to follow the drastic collapse of GDP/GNI at the same pace. This article aims at providing an overview both of the social context in which NWI was created as a complementary reporting system integrating GDP/GNI and of its construction principles as well as of some results. From all this, some conclusions will be drawn about how the index can be helpful in the development of a more sustainable concept of welfare. For example, it will become understandable that improvements in welfare can be achieved even without economic growth. This process could go hand in hand with reflections on economic transformation and cultural change. It is all about future strategies allowing a reduction in the physical material and energy flux as well as in the negative impacts on ecosystems and nature due to economic activities, so that societies will profit from such change.

The federal state of India is among the most vulnerable countries in the world with regard to climate change. Despite its low per capita emissions, India is the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Accordingly, the country’s domestic climate policy requires substantial problem solving capacities to respond to these huge challenges involving different levels of government. This paper considers the question of whether comparative climate policy research should explore the role of India’s states in climate policy. Should state climate action in India be considered and even investigated through the “laboratories of experimentation” lens? By considering this question from a theoretical perspective, this paper aims at encouraging a more intense discussion of the topic. The paper presents a synopsis of the current state of research reviewing three strands of discussion: first, the laboratories of experimentation literature, second, comparative climate policy analysis dealing with the role of federal states in multi-level climate governance in the USA and Germany; and third, literature on the role of the Union states in India’s federal system. Moreover, to assess the scope for subnational state climate action, the institutional context of India’s multi- level climate governance structure is scrutinized. Using anecdotal examples of progress in Indian states, the paper calls attention to important areas of research which appear to hold key information but have not yet been adequately explored. It concludes that there are good reasons to include India’s states in comparative subnational climate policy research and, in particular, for considering interstate competition as a potential driver behind subnational climate action and energy policy in India. Keywords: climate change policies, multi-level governance, bottom-up approaches, India, innovation policy, industrial policy

This report presents findings from an online survey and a number of expert interviews on the perspectives of European civil society on Sustainable Development and the Green Economy in the run-up to the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. The survey was sent out to civil society organisations in six selected European countries to gain a bet-ter understanding of their views on specific aspects of the Green Economy concept. In ad-dition to this, the data analysis allows us to compare respondents’ answers across different groups of civil society as well as between countries. The survey questions range from the definitional aspects of what the Green Economy is and what its elements are to the conflict dimensions identified in the first part of the study as well as the risks and opportunities seen in the Green Economy. Finally, it includes the questions what role governments should take and what policy and financing instruments should be used more widely in the transition to the Green Economy. The Green Economy concept is still an open concept and civil society groups are eager to weigh-in and help define its boundaries and key aspects. With this lack of clarity come many concerns, both internationally as well as on the European level, that the Green Economy could be ‘just a greened capitalism’ that allows for ‘greenwashing’ and ‘social greenwashing’. A large majority of respondents say that the concept should be based on a three-pillar ap-proach, while questions remain concerning the extent of the social dimension of the Green Economy. Trade unions emphasize the need for better working conditions and international standards, for example by implementing social protection floors. This question in particu-lar is connected to the European debate and the relationship between the Europe 2020 strategy and its flagship initiative on resource efficiency, and the European Sustainable Development Strategy (EUSDS). Unions and environmental groups fear that the EUSDS might be replaced by the ‘narrower’ Europe 2020 strategy that, in their view, lacks a strong social dimension. The social partners agree that the greening of the economy should be a consensus- based approach that includes all sectors and rejects a view that distinguishes between ‘brown’ and ‘green’ sectors of the economy. There are more diverse views on the questions of what role governments should play and what instruments they should use. Respondents agree that national governments should provide framework conditions and economic incen-tives to businesses and support research and development for green technologies. Beyond that, there is still disagreement within civil society sectors along with significant differ- ences in the member states over what instruments should or should not be used. Similarly, there are differences regarding the question of how much the government should get in-volved in the development of the economy and if there should be an active de-growth of certain polluting sectors. What respondents generally seem to agree on is that the European Economic and Social Committee can and should play a significant role in providing a forum to bring European civil society together and build consensus, to help civil society’s views be heard in EU poli-cymaking and to work to ensure the EU acts as a role model in the transition to a Green Economy. This report aims to make a contribution to this endeavour.

This study provides an overview of existing approaches and methods for assessing the environmental impacts of trade and trade-related activities. It considers both approaches that are tailored to the assessment of trade- environment linkages and more generic approaches for environmental assessment and analyzes their respective usability in the context of trade-related development cooperation. The study thereby aims to contribute to a more extensive use of such tools, while improving the practice and application of environmental assessments of trade-related policies and programs. In doing so, the study will complement the existing study on the assessment of the socio- economic impacts from trade carried out by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI)1. The study is divided into two parts. Part I begins with a brief discussion on trade-related development cooperation followed by a short overview of the debate on trade, development and the environment. Next it provides an overview of existing approaches to conceptualizing environmental impacts from trade-related activities. After this, it provides a general introduction to impact assessment (IA) and the assessment of environmental impacts in this context. It closes with a brief overview of the assessment of environmental aspects in German development cooperation. Part II provides a more detailed review of existing frameworks and methods for assessing the environmental impacts from trade-related policies and programs.