Really a front-runner, really a Straggler? Of environmental leaders and laggards in the European Union and beyond – A quantitative policy perspective

As it has long been debated who is a front‐runner and who is a laggard state in terms of environmental protection it is rather surprising that the topic has received rather scant attention as far as quantitative, large‐n research endeavours are concerned. Of course, there is a broad literature on the topic. However, existing studies have shortcomings. The criteria on which the assessments rely are often neither equivalent cross‐nationally nor are they communicated clearly enough (i.e., not transparent). Although ambitious efforts have been invested to rank countries in terms of their environmental performance, little systematic research exists that clearly determines leaders and laggards in terms of their policies (policy performance) and states’ ranking, accordingly. We demonstrate that while some known frontrunner states are indeed leaders if assessed from a broader policy data perspective, other countries commonly assigned a leader role find themselves in a lower position instead. In addition, some nations commonly excluded from the frontrunners are located unexpectedly high in the rankings. Even leader‐laggard reversals occur if our results would be compared to existing classifications. Most importantly, the analyses show a considerable temporal dynamic. While often claimed or assumed, this has not been proven as clearly until now. To the best of our knowledge no empirical study has so far conducted a comprehensive and quantitative leader‐laggard assessment policy analysis. Against this backdrop, we aim to provide such a paper. We especially strive to test the validity of ‘common knowledge’ classifications or rankings derived from assessments in the literature.