By Anne Zimmer, Michael Jakob, and Jan Steckel

Against the intuition of standard economic theory on collective action problems a number of developing countries engage in unilateral climate change mitigation policy. Ostrom (2010) gives several potential reasons why conventional theory fails to explain this observation, as for example the existence of multiple benefits. By analyzing the case of Vietnam, this study intends to give insights on the potential motivation for climate policy in a developing country. By means of qualitative interviews with Vietnamese policy makers and other stakeholders we examine the determinants that have shaped climate related policies recently launched in Vietnam, focusing on renewable energy policy and fossil fuel pricing policies. We find that emission reductions are not a main objective of these policies. Distinguishing between domestic and external factors, we argue that multiple policy objectives related to multiple benefits stemming from climate policy played important roles for national policy making as well as Vietnam’s international climate policy. Along the lines of Kingdon’s (1995) ‘multiple streams framework’ our analysis suggests that the interplay of those external and internal factors has opened a ‘window of opportunity’ enabling a policy change from a climate policy focused on adaptation to one in which increased emphasis is put on mitigation

Concluding thoughts Tiếp tục đọc “What motivates Vietnam to strive for a low‐carbon economy? – An explorative case study on the drivers of climate policy in a developing country” →