Here is an annotated list of key publications throughout my career. A full list with links to open access version can be found here: PH Pattberg – Research output – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Blondeel, M., & Pattberg, PH. (2025). Toward a fossil free research norm in Dutch higher education. Climate Policy. https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2025.2581138
The article analyzes the emergence and contestation of a fossil-free research norm in Dutch higher education. Through the case of VU Amsterdam, it shows how activist pressure, institutional leadership, and discursive struggles shape universities’ decisions to restrict fossil-fuel partnerships, highlighting tensions around academic freedom, financial constraints, and evolving climate-related norms.
Pattberg, P., & Bäckstrand, K. (2023). Enhancing the achievement of the SDGs: lessons learned at the half-way point of the 2030 Agenda. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, 23(2), 107-114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-023-09615-9
This article evaluates progress and challenges in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals halfway through the 2030 Agenda timeline. Pattberg and Bäckstrand reflect on governance lessons learned, emphasizing the role of multi-level cooperation and the need for stronger institutional integration. Their insights offer strategic guidance for accelerating SDG achievement through improved policy coherence and stakeholder engagement.
Pattberg, P., Kaiser, C., Widerberg, OE., & Stripple, J. (2022). 20 Years of global climate change governance research: taking stock and moving forward. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-022-09568-5
In this comprehensive review, Pattberg and co-authors map two decades of climate governance research, identifying key trends, challenges, and knowledge gaps. The paper synthesizes empirical findings on governance instruments and institutional innovation, emphasizing the need to integrate complexity and fragmentation perspectives. This work sets an agenda for future research to enhance the effectiveness of climate governance in a rapidly evolving global context.
Pattberg, Philipp (2017). The emergence of carbon disclosure: exploring the role of governance entrepreneurs. Environment & Planning C: Politics & Space, 35(8), 1437–1455. https://doi.org/10.1177/2399654417723341
This paper investigates how individual actors, termed “governance entrepreneurs,” have driven the rise of corporate carbon disclosure initiatives. Pattberg highlights the mechanisms by which these entrepreneurs mobilize actors, frame issues, and institutionalize new governance practices. The study advances understanding of how private governance tools develop and diffuse in global climate politics.
Pattberg, Philipp and Oscar Widerberg (2016). Transnational Multistakeholder Partnerships for Sustainable Development: Conditions for Success. Ambio, 45(1), 42-51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-015-0684-2
This article systematically evaluates the factors that determine the success of multi-stakeholder partnerships in achieving sustainable development goals. Drawing on extensive empirical data, Pattberg and Widerberg identify key design and implementation conditions that enhance legitimacy and effectiveness. Their findings contribute directly to policy debates around SDG 17, offering actionable recommendations for improving global partnerships.
Biermann, Frank, Philipp Pattberg, Harro van Asselt and Fariborz Zelli (2009). The Fragmentation of Global Governance Architectures: A Framework for Analysis. Global Environmental Politics, 9(4), 14-40. https://doi.org/10.1162/glep.2009.9.4.14
This influential article introduces a novel analytical framework to understand fragmentation in global governance systems, addressing overlaps and institutional complexity in environmental politics. Pattberg and colleagues provide theoretical foundations and empirical illustrations of how fragmented architectures affect governance outcomes. The framework has been widely adopted in political science and environmental studies to analyze governance challenges in the Anthropocene era.
Dingwerth, Klaus and Philipp Pattberg (2009). World Politics and Organizational Fields: The Case of Sustainability Governance. European Journal of International Relations, 15(4), 707-743. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066109345056
This groundbreaking article applies the concept of organizational fields to global sustainability governance, revealing how diverse actors create and maintain institutional orders. Dingwerth and Pattberg argue that understanding these fields sheds light on the dynamics of cooperation and competition among actors in global environmental politics.
Pattberg, Philipp and Johannes Stripple (2008). Beyond the Public and Private Divide: Remapping Transnational Climate Governance in the 21st Century. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, 8(4), 367-388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-008-9085-3
This paper challenges the traditional dichotomy between public and private governance by analyzing the hybrid forms of transnational climate governance emerging in the 21st century. Pattberg and Stripple provide an innovative conceptual framework that captures the complexity of climate politics beyond state-centric models.
Pattberg, Philipp (2007). Private Institutions and Global Governance. The New Politics of Environmental Sustainability. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar.
This foundational monograph explores the rise of private institutions as crucial actors in global environmental governance, analyzing how non-state actors influence sustainability politics beyond traditional state mechanisms. Pattberg develops a comprehensive framework for understanding the institutionalization of private governance, demonstrating its significance in addressing environmental challenges. The book has become a seminal reference for scholars studying non-state governance and its role in sustainability transitions.
Dingwerth, Klaus and Philipp Pattberg (2006). Global Governance as a Perspective on World Politics. Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations, 12(2), 185-203.
This paper situates global governance as a distinct analytical lens to understand contemporary world politics. It argues for the importance of non-state actors and multi-level governance arrangements, setting a theoretical basis for future empirical studies.
Pattberg, Philipp (2005). The Institutionalization of Private Governance: How Business and Non-profits Agree on Transnational Rules. Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration, and Institutions, 18(4), 589-610. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0491.2005.00293.x
This study investigates how private governance arrangements become institutionalized through negotiations between businesses and non-profits. Pattberg offers empirical insights into the processes of rule-making and institutional embedding, advancing understanding of transnational governance networks.
Philipp Pattberg 