Environmental Challenges and Political Regime Transition: The Role of Historical Legacies and the European Union in Eurasia

Abstract

This paper addresses the impact of political regimes on carbon emissions (CO2) from a historical perspective, covering the period of 1970-2015. Our sample consists of 153 countries that we follow for 20 years before the transition and 26 years after it . During transition, post-Communist states experienced a decline in CO2, when controlling for economic variables. Transition had a positive impact on the environment only in cases when it was associated with democratization. When transition has led to consolidation of autocratic regimes, CO2 has increased.