Blurring the boundaries: Domestic and international ozone politics and lessons for climate change

In this article, we re-examine the conventional wisdom of the ozone case by focusing on the process of national and international decision making. In particular, we examine the policy process in the United States and its relation to the international policy process. In so doing, we call into question the four lessons traditionally drawn from the ozone case and challenge their application to the case of global climate change. We also find that a focus on decision process blurs the boundary between domestic and international politics, which is often used as an analytical stopping point in the study of international relations. Based on our analysis, we suggest several revised lessons of the ozone case that appear more appropriate for the case of global climate change.