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The Missing Ingredients for a Polycentric Governance System of Orbital Debris

Jean‐Frédéric Morin & Cynthia Couette

Global Environmental Politics2025https://doi.org/10.1162/glep_a_00775article
ABDC B
Weight
0.46

Abstract

The pollution of Earth’s orbits by debris represents a pressing environmental problem. Recognizing that geopolitical factors hinder the adoption of a multilateral solution, several experts advocate for a polycentric governance system, inspired by Elinor Ostrom’s work. This article assesses the viability of such a proposal. It finds that the global network of space organizations exhibits some of the structural characteristics of a polycentric system. However, arrangements concluded among these organizations fail to promote sustainability norms, and interviews with key stakeholders reveal the absence of several favorable factors for a sustainable polycentric governance system. The article concludes that a polycentric structure alone does not guarantee the emergence of sustainable governance. As orbital space is a relatively “easy case” for applying polycentricity theory to the global commons, this research serves as a reminder about the limitations of polycentric approaches in global environmental politics.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1162/glep_a_00775

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@article{jean‐frédéric2025,
  title        = {{The Missing Ingredients for a Polycentric Governance System of Orbital Debris}},
  author       = {Jean‐Frédéric Morin & Cynthia Couette},
  journal      = {Global Environmental Politics},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1162/glep_a_00775},
}

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The Missing Ingredients for a Polycentric Governance System of Orbital Debris

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Evidence weight

0.46

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.37 × 0.4 = 0.15
M · momentum0.60 × 0.15 = 0.09
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.