Lena Partzsch
Biographic Data
| ID | 454297 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Lena Partzsch |
| GIVEN NAMES | Lena |
| FAMILY NAME | Partzsch |
| SIGNATURE | PARTZSCH L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Freiburg |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9505-2924 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 31 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 123 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Local Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Europe
While some scholars see the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an example of environmentally friendly development approaches that reconnect development with biospheric preconditions, others argue that they mask ongoing contestation. This article begins with a multi‐level governance perspective on the “green goals” of the 2030 Agenda and the importance of local action for their implementation. The focus is on Europe, where municipal sustainab…
A threat to democracy? Water protests in France and Germany
Environmental crisis narratives are used to justify the exercise of power, including against democratic state authority. In the cases of Danone in Volvic, France, and Tesla in Grünheide, Germany, activists are challenging the official state approval of multinationals’ exploitation of local resources amid declining water levels. This article compares the narratives that activists use in their campaigns regarding power and democracy. There are diff…
Towards ‘greening’ trade? The environment in the French, German and EU supply chain laws
New supply chain laws set the stage for the ‘greening’ of international trade. • First framework for measuring and comparing environmental benchmarks. • ‘Hardening’ of non-product-related production process methods (npr-PPMs). • Regulatory development is a ‘race to the top’ with ‘bends’. • ENGOs gain visibility by using laws to challenge pollution in exporting states. The European Union (EU) recently adopted the Corporate Sustainability Due Dilig…
Hardening sustainability: Supply chain laws complement cocoa and coffee certifications
Campaigning for Greater Accountability in Global Supply Chains
Several supply chain-related laws have recently been passed in Europe and the United States as a result of successful NGO campaigns, which have addressed the challenges of accountability in a globalized world. Based on the analysis of campaign documents and semi-structured interviews, the article examines the accountability narratives used by NGOs in recent campaigns for an EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The results …
It’s a women’s thing? Narratives in ethical trade campaigns
Narratives about women and girls are often used to illustrate abuses in global trade. The article begins by amending the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) to include the agency of (women) characters and to take into account North–South asymmetries. The framework then serves to study NGO gender narratives in ethical trade campaigns, based on advocacy documents and semi-structured interviews on the recent campaigns for the European Union's new Corpo…
Not one inconvenient truth, but many: Emergency Narratives and Climate Change
Missing the SDGs: Political accountability for insufficient environmental action
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demonstrate an integration of development and environmental agendas. However, none of the environmental sub‐targets, which were due by 2020, were accomplished. Global governance through goal setting requires functioning mechanisms of accountability. Based on a theoretical framework that differentiates between public, private and voluntary logic of accountability, the article illustratively explores account…
Can supply chain laws prevent deforestation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia
The devil is in the detail—The need for a decolonizing turn and better environmental accountability in global supply chain regulations: A comment
This commentary on contributions to a special issue is exclusively informed by secondary data as contained in cited sources. There is no primary data to share
Proxy-led accountability for natural resource extraction in rentier states
The resource curse literature suggests that, in fragile states dependent on natural resource rents, structures of public accountability are weak because of an elite-controlled political economy indifferent to social and ecological interests. We examine accountability claims made by non-domestic proxy actors, holding governments and corporations accountable on behalf of communities adversely affected by natural resources extraction. This conceptua…
City networks’ power in global agri-food systems
Cities and local governments loom large on the sustainability agenda. Networks such as Fair Trade Towns International (FTT) and the Organic Cities Network aim to bring about global policy change from below. Given the new enthusiasm for local approaches, it seems relevant to ask to what extent local groups exercise power and in what form. City networks present their members as “ethical places” exercising power with , rather than power over others.…
European Union's proxy accountability for tropical deforestation
Consuming countries are increasingly holding transnational businesses accountable for environmental damage on behalf of affected communities in exporting countries. The EU Renewable Energy Directives (RED) and the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) particularly demonstrate such an accountability-by-proxy. Both aim to prevent worldwide deforestation. However, their design and accountability logics vary considerably. Using the case of Indonesia, the artic…
Alternatives to Multilateralism: New Forms of Social and Environmental Governance
Analysis and case studies of emerging forms of private, public, and hybrid social and environmental governance. The effects of globalization on governance are complex and uncertain. As markets integrate, governments have become increasingly hesitant to enforce regulations inside their own jurisdictions. At the same time, multilateralism has proven unsuccessful in coordinating states' responses to global challenges. In this book, Lena Partzsch des…
Politikwissenschaftliches Interpretieren des Anthropozäns – Zur Bedeutung interpretativer Politikforschung im Umgang mit Objektivität, Normativität und Performativität von Meta-Konzepten
Cotton certification in Sub-Saharan Africa: Promotion of environmental sustainability or greenwashing
Environmental sustainability is a major challenge for cotton production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The creation of voluntary certification programs is an effort aimed at finding new ways to influence corporate conduct along supply chains. This article contributes novelty and insight on cotton certification in SSA by exploring the most relevant programs in detail with regard to the demands of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). …
Governance for global stewardship: Can private certification move beyond commodification in fostering sustainability transformations
Stewardship—the caring for fellow human beings as well as the nonhuman world—is receiving increasing attention from scholars in the field of global environmental change. Recent publications underscore that stewardship is becoming a key norm within the global international system of states, but that in remaining state-centric, stewardship fails to create a deeper systemic transformation of the international system’s normative structure. In this ar…
Take Action Now: The Legitimacy of Celebrity Power in International Relations
Celebrities are able to mobilize a wide range of people on a global scale. In his Oscar acceptance speech, Leonardo DiCaprio urged his international audience to work collectively to combat climate change. Another example of celebrity activism is Daryl Hannah's support for biofuels and the campaign against the Keystone XL pipeline. In this article, I analyze the legitimacy of such celebrity power in international relations along three criteria (po…
Cotton certification in Ethiopia: Can an increasing demand for certified textiles create a ‘fashion revolution’
Ethiopia is witnessing a cotton revival. Voluntary certification programs, such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), promise to ensure the sustainability of this development. When advertising certification, companies call upon consumers to 'join the fashion revolution' and overcome grievances of 'dirty fashion'. We are interested in the types of relations through which certification initiatives can facil…
Utopia, Food Sovereignty, and Ethical Fashion: The Narrative Power of anti-GMO Campaigns
The idea of utopia has become pervasive in the age of everyday humanitarianism. Digital media communicate utopian ideas that allow people to “do good” for vulnerable others and the environment. At the same time, campaigns mobilize citizens by invoking apocalyptic images, such as genetically modified (GM) “monster” foods. This article looks at the construction of utopian and apocalyptic narratives in social movement campaigns and how they contribu…
Welche Macht führt zum Wandel
Reaktion auf vier Beiträge zum Thema Macht in Umweltpolitik und Umweltforschung in GAIA: L. Partzsch 24/1 (2015), A. Brunnengräber 26/1 (2017), P. Altmann 26/2 (2017), P. Wallmeier 26/4 (2017)
Power with' and 'power to' in environmental politics and the transition to sustainability
Scholars of environmental politics demand serious reform of international governance and institutions to protect planet Earth. There is therefore an urgent need to discuss what causes change and gridlock in environmental politics. Serious reform is inextricably tied up with questions of power. The diversity with which studies on environmental politics understand power is exposed through three ideal type concepts: power with (learning and cooperat…
Mandatory due diligence for ‘conflict minerals’ and illegally logged timber: Emergence and cascade of a new norm on foreign accountability
The European Union, the United States, and a number of other state actors have adopted policies obliging companies to conduct supply chain due diligence regarding the import of natural resources. While several authors have analyzed the motives of these measures individually, this article provides a broader explanation for their diffusion. In empirical terms, it focuses on ‘conflict minerals’ and illegally logged timber. Building on the classical …
Macht und Wandel in der Umweltpolitik
Kein Wandel ohne Macht ‐ Nachhaltigkeitsforschung braucht ein mehrdimensionales Machtverständnis
Which power leads to change, and which power prevents it? The article provides an overview of existing understandings of power in research on environmental politics and sustainability, including positive perceptions of power that researchers have hardly made explicit so far. It exposes the diversity with which one can understand power through three ideal type concepts: power with (cooperation and learning), power to (resistance and empowerment) a…
The legitimacy of biofuel certification
The devil is in the detail—The need for a decolonizing turn and better environmental accountability in global supply chain regulations: A comment
This commentary on contributions to a special issue is exclusively informed by secondary data as contained in cited sources. There is no primary data to share
Power with' and 'power to' in environmental politics and the transition to sustainability
Scholars of environmental politics demand serious reform of international governance and institutions to protect planet Earth. There is therefore an urgent need to discuss what causes change and gridlock in environmental politics. Serious reform is inextricably tied up with questions of power. The diversity with which studies on environmental politics understand power is exposed through three ideal type concepts: power with (learning and cooperat…
Mandatory due diligence for ‘conflict minerals’ and illegally logged timber: Emergence and cascade of a new norm on foreign accountability
The European Union, the United States, and a number of other state actors have adopted policies obliging companies to conduct supply chain due diligence regarding the import of natural resources. While several authors have analyzed the motives of these measures individually, this article provides a broader explanation for their diffusion. In empirical terms, it focuses on ‘conflict minerals’ and illegally logged timber. Building on the classical …
Philanthropy: Power with in international relations
In international relations, a long list of private donors has joined governments in addressing global problems and their financial contributions are mind-boggling. We argue that the transformational potential of philanthropists such as Bill and Melinda Gates and Michael Otto relies largely on mechanisms of power with others, i.e. cooperation and learning. There are situations in which power is neither attributed solely to A nor to B, but to both.…
The power of celebrities in global politics
The political commitment of celebrities is growing in scope and significance, especially when considering their increasing involvement in global politics. Bono is a prominent example of such a celebrity, who arguably has played a role in tripling the US budget for Africa. Even celebrities beyond the Anglo-Saxon context, such as the German singer and actress Heike Makatsch, have become globally esteemed celebrity activists. Scholars, however, face…
Take Action Now: The Legitimacy of Celebrity Power in International Relations
Celebrities are able to mobilize a wide range of people on a global scale. In his Oscar acceptance speech, Leonardo DiCaprio urged his international audience to work collectively to combat climate change. Another example of celebrity activism is Daryl Hannah's support for biofuels and the campaign against the Keystone XL pipeline. In this article, I analyze the legitimacy of such celebrity power in international relations along three criteria (po…
Social entrepreneurs as change agents: A case study on power and authority in the water sector
Can supply chain laws prevent deforestation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia
Proxy-led accountability for natural resource extraction in rentier states
The resource curse literature suggests that, in fragile states dependent on natural resource rents, structures of public accountability are weak because of an elite-controlled political economy indifferent to social and ecological interests. We examine accountability claims made by non-domestic proxy actors, holding governments and corporations accountable on behalf of communities adversely affected by natural resources extraction. This conceptua…
European Union's proxy accountability for tropical deforestation
Consuming countries are increasingly holding transnational businesses accountable for environmental damage on behalf of affected communities in exporting countries. The EU Renewable Energy Directives (RED) and the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) particularly demonstrate such an accountability-by-proxy. Both aim to prevent worldwide deforestation. However, their design and accountability logics vary considerably. Using the case of Indonesia, the artic…
Alternatives to Multilateralism: New Forms of Social and Environmental Governance
Analysis and case studies of emerging forms of private, public, and hybrid social and environmental governance. The effects of globalization on governance are complex and uncertain. As markets integrate, governments have become increasingly hesitant to enforce regulations inside their own jurisdictions. At the same time, multilateralism has proven unsuccessful in coordinating states' responses to global challenges. In this book, Lena Partzsch des…
Cotton certification in Sub-Saharan Africa: Promotion of environmental sustainability or greenwashing
Environmental sustainability is a major challenge for cotton production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The creation of voluntary certification programs is an effort aimed at finding new ways to influence corporate conduct along supply chains. This article contributes novelty and insight on cotton certification in SSA by exploring the most relevant programs in detail with regard to the demands of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). …
Utopia, Food Sovereignty, and Ethical Fashion: The Narrative Power of anti-GMO Campaigns
The idea of utopia has become pervasive in the age of everyday humanitarianism. Digital media communicate utopian ideas that allow people to “do good” for vulnerable others and the environment. At the same time, campaigns mobilize citizens by invoking apocalyptic images, such as genetically modified (GM) “monster” foods. This article looks at the construction of utopian and apocalyptic narratives in social movement campaigns and how they contribu…
Governance for global stewardship: Can private certification move beyond commodification in fostering sustainability transformations
Stewardship—the caring for fellow human beings as well as the nonhuman world—is receiving increasing attention from scholars in the field of global environmental change. Recent publications underscore that stewardship is becoming a key norm within the global international system of states, but that in remaining state-centric, stewardship fails to create a deeper systemic transformation of the international system’s normative structure. In this ar…
Cotton certification in Ethiopia: Can an increasing demand for certified textiles create a ‘fashion revolution’
Ethiopia is witnessing a cotton revival. Voluntary certification programs, such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), promise to ensure the sustainability of this development. When advertising certification, companies call upon consumers to 'join the fashion revolution' and overcome grievances of 'dirty fashion'. We are interested in the types of relations through which certification initiatives can facil…
Hardening sustainability: Supply chain laws complement cocoa and coffee certifications
City networks’ power in global agri-food systems
Cities and local governments loom large on the sustainability agenda. Networks such as Fair Trade Towns International (FTT) and the Organic Cities Network aim to bring about global policy change from below. Given the new enthusiasm for local approaches, it seems relevant to ask to what extent local groups exercise power and in what form. City networks present their members as “ethical places” exercising power with , rather than power over others.…
Infrastruktur und soziale Ungleichheit
The legitimacy of biofuel certification
Social entrepreneurs as change agents: A case study on power and authority in the water sector
Philanthropy: Power with in international relations
In international relations, a long list of private donors has joined governments in addressing global problems and their financial contributions are mind-boggling. We argue that the transformational potential of philanthropists such as Bill and Melinda Gates and Michael Otto relies largely on mechanisms of power with others, i.e. cooperation and learning. There are situations in which power is neither attributed solely to A nor to B, but to both.…
Die neue Macht von Individuen in der globalen Politik: Wandel durch Prominente, Philanthropen und Social Entrepreneurs
Individuen kommt eine neue Macht in der globalen Politik zu. Besonders deutlich wird das, wenn Philanthropen an der Spitze globaler Stiftungen stehen. Aber auch Prominenten und Social Entrepreneurs gelingt es mitunter Wandel zu initiieren.
Macht und Wandel in der Umweltpolitik
Kein Wandel ohne Macht ‐ Nachhaltigkeitsforschung braucht ein mehrdimensionales Machtverständnis
Which power leads to change, and which power prevents it? The article provides an overview of existing understandings of power in research on environmental politics and sustainability, including positive perceptions of power that researchers have hardly made explicit so far. It exposes the diversity with which one can understand power through three ideal type concepts: power with (cooperation and learning), power to (resistance and empowerment) a…
The power of celebrities in global politics
The political commitment of celebrities is growing in scope and significance, especially when considering their increasing involvement in global politics. Bono is a prominent example of such a celebrity, who arguably has played a role in tripling the US budget for Africa. Even celebrities beyond the Anglo-Saxon context, such as the German singer and actress Heike Makatsch, have become globally esteemed celebrity activists. Scholars, however, face…
Mandatory due diligence for ‘conflict minerals’ and illegally logged timber: Emergence and cascade of a new norm on foreign accountability
The European Union, the United States, and a number of other state actors have adopted policies obliging companies to conduct supply chain due diligence regarding the import of natural resources. While several authors have analyzed the motives of these measures individually, this article provides a broader explanation for their diffusion. In empirical terms, it focuses on ‘conflict minerals’ and illegally logged timber. Building on the classical …
Welche Macht führt zum Wandel
Reaktion auf vier Beiträge zum Thema Macht in Umweltpolitik und Umweltforschung in GAIA: L. Partzsch 24/1 (2015), A. Brunnengräber 26/1 (2017), P. Altmann 26/2 (2017), P. Wallmeier 26/4 (2017)
Power with' and 'power to' in environmental politics and the transition to sustainability
Scholars of environmental politics demand serious reform of international governance and institutions to protect planet Earth. There is therefore an urgent need to discuss what causes change and gridlock in environmental politics. Serious reform is inextricably tied up with questions of power. The diversity with which studies on environmental politics understand power is exposed through three ideal type concepts: power with (learning and cooperat…
Take Action Now: The Legitimacy of Celebrity Power in International Relations
Celebrities are able to mobilize a wide range of people on a global scale. In his Oscar acceptance speech, Leonardo DiCaprio urged his international audience to work collectively to combat climate change. Another example of celebrity activism is Daryl Hannah's support for biofuels and the campaign against the Keystone XL pipeline. In this article, I analyze the legitimacy of such celebrity power in international relations along three criteria (po…
Cotton certification in Ethiopia: Can an increasing demand for certified textiles create a ‘fashion revolution’
Ethiopia is witnessing a cotton revival. Voluntary certification programs, such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), promise to ensure the sustainability of this development. When advertising certification, companies call upon consumers to 'join the fashion revolution' and overcome grievances of 'dirty fashion'. We are interested in the types of relations through which certification initiatives can facil…
Utopia, Food Sovereignty, and Ethical Fashion: The Narrative Power of anti-GMO Campaigns
The idea of utopia has become pervasive in the age of everyday humanitarianism. Digital media communicate utopian ideas that allow people to “do good” for vulnerable others and the environment. At the same time, campaigns mobilize citizens by invoking apocalyptic images, such as genetically modified (GM) “monster” foods. This article looks at the construction of utopian and apocalyptic narratives in social movement campaigns and how they contribu…
Politikwissenschaftliches Interpretieren des Anthropozäns – Zur Bedeutung interpretativer Politikforschung im Umgang mit Objektivität, Normativität und Performativität von Meta-Konzepten
Cotton certification in Sub-Saharan Africa: Promotion of environmental sustainability or greenwashing
Environmental sustainability is a major challenge for cotton production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The creation of voluntary certification programs is an effort aimed at finding new ways to influence corporate conduct along supply chains. This article contributes novelty and insight on cotton certification in SSA by exploring the most relevant programs in detail with regard to the demands of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). …
Governance for global stewardship: Can private certification move beyond commodification in fostering sustainability transformations
Stewardship—the caring for fellow human beings as well as the nonhuman world—is receiving increasing attention from scholars in the field of global environmental change. Recent publications underscore that stewardship is becoming a key norm within the global international system of states, but that in remaining state-centric, stewardship fails to create a deeper systemic transformation of the international system’s normative structure. In this ar…
Alternatives to Multilateralism: New Forms of Social and Environmental Governance
Analysis and case studies of emerging forms of private, public, and hybrid social and environmental governance. The effects of globalization on governance are complex and uncertain. As markets integrate, governments have become increasingly hesitant to enforce regulations inside their own jurisdictions. At the same time, multilateralism has proven unsuccessful in coordinating states' responses to global challenges. In this book, Lena Partzsch des…
European Union's proxy accountability for tropical deforestation
Consuming countries are increasingly holding transnational businesses accountable for environmental damage on behalf of affected communities in exporting countries. The EU Renewable Energy Directives (RED) and the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) particularly demonstrate such an accountability-by-proxy. Both aim to prevent worldwide deforestation. However, their design and accountability logics vary considerably. Using the case of Indonesia, the artic…
City networks’ power in global agri-food systems
Cities and local governments loom large on the sustainability agenda. Networks such as Fair Trade Towns International (FTT) and the Organic Cities Network aim to bring about global policy change from below. Given the new enthusiasm for local approaches, it seems relevant to ask to what extent local groups exercise power and in what form. City networks present their members as “ethical places” exercising power with , rather than power over others.…
Missing the SDGs: Political accountability for insufficient environmental action
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demonstrate an integration of development and environmental agendas. However, none of the environmental sub‐targets, which were due by 2020, were accomplished. Global governance through goal setting requires functioning mechanisms of accountability. Based on a theoretical framework that differentiates between public, private and voluntary logic of accountability, the article illustratively explores account…
Can supply chain laws prevent deforestation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia
The devil is in the detail—The need for a decolonizing turn and better environmental accountability in global supply chain regulations: A comment
This commentary on contributions to a special issue is exclusively informed by secondary data as contained in cited sources. There is no primary data to share
Proxy-led accountability for natural resource extraction in rentier states
The resource curse literature suggests that, in fragile states dependent on natural resource rents, structures of public accountability are weak because of an elite-controlled political economy indifferent to social and ecological interests. We examine accountability claims made by non-domestic proxy actors, holding governments and corporations accountable on behalf of communities adversely affected by natural resources extraction. This conceptua…
Campaigning for Greater Accountability in Global Supply Chains
Several supply chain-related laws have recently been passed in Europe and the United States as a result of successful NGO campaigns, which have addressed the challenges of accountability in a globalized world. Based on the analysis of campaign documents and semi-structured interviews, the article examines the accountability narratives used by NGOs in recent campaigns for an EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The results …
Political science (26 works) · Law (15 works) · Politics (15 works) · Economics (14 works) · Business (13 works) · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact (11 works) · Law (10 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Accountability (8 works) · Sustainability (8 works)