The capacities of countries to cope with the
challenges presented by global environmental changes vary considerably. The increasing international relations between
countries are however bridging the gap with information transfer. Nevertheless,
this trend is also seen as a hindrance to national sovereignty and has hence
created a need to find a new framework to describe and act on the international
arena. Diffusion, a processes which may be the first step towards the emergence
of international environmental regimes, has therefore become a complementary
approach for global dissemination and governance across a broad range of
fields. This research focused on the diffusion of renewable energy policy
innovations in Ghana and acknowledges that the diffusion of international
regulatory policy innovations depends on a complex interplay of factors. The
study reveals that power relations play a strong role in the process. Change
agents who engage in voluntary and “power with” relations are more likely to
effectively diffuse policy innovations to wider social units.
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