Haas uses the Mediterranean Action Plan (Med Plan) from about 1975-1985 as his case study of epistemic communities. His case study is based on “over 90 interviews with government officials and from United Nations archives, government publications, and more general secondary sources” (Haas 381).

“The Med Plan is a collectively negotiated, ongoing set of arrangements for the progressive control of Mediterranean marine pollution. It was developed under the auspices of UNEP” and 18 littoral states participates (Haas 381). The principles of the Med Plan regime are that “Mediterranean currents and wind patterns transmit pollutants across national borders and that these pollutants interfere with other uses of the sea (…) thereby necessitating coordinated national pollution control policies” (Haas 381-382). The rules, decision-making procedures, and evaluation processes have grown in scope and strength over time. As a result the quality of the Mediterranean has improved; “Although it is extremely difficult to confirm, regional scientists concur that the quality of the Mediterranean is better than it would have been without the Med Plan” (Haas 383)

While Haas looks at all 18 countries and the success of their epistemic communities in order to explain the overall success of the pollution control regime, he uses two countries to provide a more detailed analysis of “the key role played by the epistemic community” (Haas 392) in creating national support for the Med Plan. These countries are Algeria and Egypt. “At first, both of these countries were strongly opposed to introducing measures that would inhibit industrial growth and were highly suspicious of French motivations. However, following the involvement of the epistemic community, these positions were reversed. This is particularly striking given the fact that, as small countries, both would have been able to free-ride on arrangements once they were supported by France.” (Haas 392)

On the other hand, France “provides the limiting case for the extent of an epistemic community’s influence. Although the epistemic community consolidated its power in the French environmental ministry and was able to redirect domestic planning policy it was relatively weak in influencing foreign environmental policy. … Internationally, the foreign affairs ministry had broader geopolitical ambitions in the Mediterranean to which the Med Plan was subordinated, and it therefore kept the scientists on a tight rein.” (Haas 395)

Work Cited: Haas, Peter M., “Do Regimes Matter? Epistemic Communities and Mediterranean Pollution Control,” International Organizations, 43, Summer 1989