Better Environmental Policy Studies: How To Design And Conduct More Effective Analyses

203 Pages·2001·9.41 MB·English

by  Lawrence Susskind

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Better
Environmental
Policy Studies

Better
Environmental
Policy Studies
How to Design and Conduct
More Effective Analysis
n
Lawrence E. Susskind
Ravi K. Jain
Andrew O. Martyniuk
Washington • Covelo • London
© 2001 by Island Press
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.No part
ofthis book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writ-
ing from the publisher:Island Press,1718 Connecticut Ave.,N.W.,Suite 300,Washington,
DC 20009.
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Susskind,Lawrence.
Better environmental policy studies :how to design and conduct more effective
analyses / Lawrence E.Susskind,Ravi K.Jain,Andrew O.Martyniuk.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-55963-870-2 (acid-free paper) — ISBN 1-55963-871-0 (pbk.:acid-free paper)
1. Environmental policy—United States—Evaluation.2. Environmental policy—United
States—Evaluation—Case studies. I.Jain,R.K.(Ravinder Kumar),1935– II.Martyniuk,
Andrew O.III.Title.
GE180 .S855 2001
363.7'056'0973—dc21
2001003712
British Library Cataloguing in Publication data available.
Printed on recycled,acid-free paper
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Preface xi
CHAPTER 1. Introduction 1
Setting the Stage 1
Conducting Policy Studies 4
CHAPTER 2. The Conventional Approach to
Environmental Policy Studies 7
How Environmental Policy Studies Are Usually Done 8
Define the Issue 8
Choose a Consultant 9
Write a Contract 9
Perform the Analysis 10
Submit a Draft Report 10
Produce and Disseminate a Final Report 10
The Connection Between Policy Studies and Policy Making 11
Comments on the Conventional Approach 14
CHAPTER 3. How Environmental Policy Studies
Can Be Used Effectively 17
Six Effective Policy Studies 17
The “Uses”of Effective Policy Studies 18
The Studies and Their “Uses” 20
The Delaney Paradox and Pesticide Regulation 20
Lead in Gasoline and the Reduction ofLead Levels in
Ambient Air 31
Complex Cleanup and the Environmental Legacy ofthe
Nuclear Weapons Complex 39
Reducing Risk and Setting Environmental Priorities
at the EPA 44
vii
viii CONTENTS
AARC and New Farm Products Research and
Commercialization 48
The Spotted Owl and Ecosystem Management in the
Pacific Northwest 56
The Challenges 61
Concluding Remarks 62
CHAPTER 4. How Policy Studies Should Be Organized 65
Six Organizational Tasks 65
Selecting and Using Experts 66
Shaping the Relationship Between Sponsors and Experts 70
Choosing the Right Institutional Auspices 76
Reviewing Policy Study Results 77
Learning from Policy Studies 80
Setting the Policy Research Agenda 82
A Look in the Rearview Mirror 84
Concluding Remarks 87
CHAPTER 5. Methods and Roles of Environmental
Policy Studies 89
Approaches to Policy Studies 90
Systems Analysis 91
Decision Theory 95
Institutional Rational Choice Theory 96
Policy Analysis Within the Political Context 97
New Theories:Post-Positivist Participatory Approaches to
Policy Analysis 100
Participatory Policy Analysis 100
Participatory Expertise 101
Critical Theory 103
Beyond Participation—Networks,Coalitions,
and Communities 104
Policy Networks 104
Advocacy Coalition Framework 107
Epistemic Communities 108
Concluding Remarks 111
CONTENTS ix
CHAPTER 6. Rethinking the Choice of Methods
for Policy Analysis 113
Analytical Methods 113
Lead in Gasoline 115
The Delaney Paradox 115
RhetoricalMethods 116
Reducing Risk 118
Process Methods 118
AARC 118
Spotted Owl 119
Putting It All Together: The Issue of Chlorinated
Organic Compounds Revisited 119
Enhancing the Interplay of Theory and Practice 121
Knowledge and Learning in Environmental Policy Making 121
Role ofScience and Technical Knowledge 122
Policy Studies Can Often Raise More Questions 124
There Is Still Great Room for Progress 124
Concluding Remarks 128
CHAPTER 7. International Perspectives 129
What We Think We Know 129
Regional/National Environmental Issues with International
Implications 130
Changing Priorities 132
International Environmental Negotiation 133
Policy Study Implications 134
Global Warming 136
Policy Options 137
United States Global Change Research Program 138
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 139
Kyoto Conference 140
Interrelationship ofNational and International Efforts
and the Role ofTechnology 142
Genetically Modified Foods 144
Transgenic Crops 145
Policy Issues 146