Essays On Environmental Policy Analysis

These papers cover such topics as: the effects of environmental and resources policies on income distribution; the incorporation of distribution effects into environmental policy analysis; the role of economic incentives in environmental policy; the economic valuation of environment changes; and the consideration of risk and uncertainty in economic valuation and policy making. The book also includes papers on the ethical basis of environmental economics and the economic approach to environmental policy.

1. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS: WHAT AND WHY? Why environmental policy analysis? Environmental issues are growing in visibility in local, national, and world arenas, as a myriad of human activities leads to increased impacts on the natural world. Issues such as climate change, endangered species, wilderness protection, and energy use are regularly on the front pages of newspapers. Governments at all levels are struggling with how to address these issues. Environmental policy analysis is intended to present the environmental and social impacts of policies, in the hope that better decisions will result when people have better information on which to base those decisions. Conducting environmental policy analysis requires people who understand what it is and how to do it. Interpreting it also requires those skills. We hope that this book will increase the abilities, both of analysts and of decision-makers, to understand and interpret the impacts of environmental policies. Policy analysis books almost invariably begin by pointing out that policy analysis can take many forms. This book is no different. As you will see in Chapter 1, we consider policy analysis to be information provided for the policy process. That information can take many forms, from sophisticated empirical analysis to general theoretical results, from summary statistics to game theoretic strategies.

No detailed description available for "Environmental Policies and Development Planning in Contemporary China and Other Essays".

Completely revised throughout, and including five new chapters, this second edition of Environmental Politics and Policy provides an updated review and synthesis of the political science literature on the subject of environmental politics and policy. Various chapters by leading scholars in the field analyze and describe the role of public opinion, interest groups, political parties, Congress, the Executive Branch, the Courts, and elites as they have influenced the formation of U.S. environmental policies over the past twenty-five years. The book also provides ideas for future research and will stimulate thinking about the subject in the 1990s and beyond. From reviews of the First Edition: "All the authors in this collection of essays are well known in the field of environmental policy. Their breadth of knowledge, and diversity of perspectives, permit a rich and comprehensive coverage of the scholarly work in this field."--Daniel McCool, Journal of Politics "An excellent collection of readings with a strong emphasis on institutional analysis as an approach to environmental policy in the United States."--Robert Paehlke, Natural Resources and Environmental Administration "No better review of the political science of environmental policy-making has yet been published."--Christopher J. Bailey, Environmental Politics Contributors. David Colnic, Douglas Costain, John S. Dryzek, Riley E. Dunlap, Helen M. Ingram, Sheldon Kamieniecki, Michael E. Kraft, James P. Lester, Dean E. Mann, Evan J. Ringquist, Walter A. Rosenbaum, Mark E. Rushefsky, Gerald B. Thomas, Lettie M. Wenner

This volume probes practical dilemmas and competing re- search perspectives in environmental policy analysis. Scholars working in different fields, research traditions, societies, and policy domains offer significant insights into the processes and consequences of environmental policy making. Part 1, "Coping with Boundaries," describes present-day conflict between experts and greater public participation in environmental policy. It shows that the institutionalization of increasingly complex environmental problems has led to a conflict between technocracy and democracy. Part 2, "The Transnational Challenge," examines modes of cooperation between grassroots movements, scientists, and regional authorities in the United States and Canada. These and other modes of cooperation laid the foundations for the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, increased the effectiveness of air pollution treaties, and increased climate change. Part 3, "Bio-Hazards: Policies and Paralysis," deals with environmental prob-lems closest to the everyday concerns of the public at large because they have immediate implications for food safety and other values. Part 4, "The Citizens' Perspective," focuses on citizen vis-a-vis environmental policy, noting that in order to make policies work citizens must be willing and able to participate in policy-making and cooperate in implementing environmental choices. Part 5, "Confronting Ordinary and Expert Knowledge," explores opportunities and constraints affecting public participation in evaluation of science. Part 6, "Developments in Research Programming," addresses such questions as whether scientists still have opportunities to do the research they want without being interrupted or disturbed by policy makers and other stakeholders. Part 7, "Policy Sciences' Aspirations," explores different avenues for improving environmental policy. Volume twelve in the PSRA series should inspire further investigations of the relations among knowledge, power, and participation in environmental policy. It will be of timely interest to environmentalists, policy-makers, scholars, and the general public.