Does Environmental Policy Work?: The Theory and Practice of Outcomes Assessment

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a growing struggle has arisen between those who would like to repeal existing environmental policy and those who would like to see greater environmental protection. On both sides, however, many of the arguments remain grounded in ideology. This book attempts to moderate the conflict by exploring methods to accurately measure and assess the effectiveness of environmental policies.

Does Environmental Policy Work? examines our ability to assess the impact of environmental policies on the environment in particular, and on social welfare in general. The distinguished authors explore the theory of assessment, concentrating primarily on a conceptual examination of the evaluation process. They extend existing tools and identify alternative indicators and methods of appraisal. The focus then shifts to the use of these tools in real-world policy situations by applying them to a series of case studies from Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Although the authors base their assessment predominantly on economic efficiency, they also pay due regard to other interdisciplinary approaches and decision-making criteria.

This comprehensive exploration of the theory and practice of environmental assessment will be of great interest to scholars of environmental economics, ecological economics and environmental science. The book will also provide guidance and direction for practitioners in the fields of environmental policy and management on how to effectively measure the outcomes of environmental policies.

Edited by David E. Ervin, Professor of Environmental Studies, Portland State University, US, James R. Kahn, Director of Environmental Studies and John F. Hendon Professor of Economics, Washington and Lee University, US and Collaborating Professor, Centro do Ciências Ambientais, Universidade do Amazonas, Brazil and Marie Leigh Livingston, Professor of Economics, University of Northern Colorado, US