Better Environmental Policy Studies: How To Design And Conduct More Effective AnalysesIsland Press, 2013 M03 5 - 256 pages Environmental policy studies commissioned by government agencies or other stakeholders can play a vital role in environmental decisionmaking; they provide much-needed insight into policy options and specific recommendations for action. But the results of even the most rigorous studies are frequently misappropriated or misunderstood and are as likely to confuse an issue as they are to clarify it. Better Environmental Policy Studies explores this problem, as it considers the shortcomings of current approaches to policy studies and presents a pragmatic new approach to the subject. Reviewing five cases that are widely regarded as the most effective policy studies to have been conducted in the United States in the last few decades, the authors present a comprehensive guide to the concepts and methods required for conducting effective policy studies. The book:
Better Environmental Policy Studies presents a practical, battle-tested approach to overcoming the obstacles to formulating effective environmental policy. It is an invaluable resource for students and faculty in departments of environmental studies, public policy and administration, and planning, as well as for professional policy analysts and others involved with making decisions and mediating disputes over environmental issues. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 29
... Lead in Gasoline The Delaney Paradox Rhetorical Methods Reducing Risk Process Methods AARC Spotted Owl Putting It All Together: The Issue of Chlorinated 113 113 115 115 116 118 118 118 119 Organic Compounds Revisited 119 Enhancing the ...
... studies are published, arguably, few actually lead to changes in environmental policy. In most policy de- bates, each side can produce a study containing “scientific evidence” to bol- ster its position. This leads to great confusion ...
... studies may not necessarily lead to wiser choices ( Weiss , 1978 ) . This para- dox is often explained by the " two communities theory , " which posits that substantial cultural differences impede interactions between analysts and ...
... lead to overuse of complicated data in an attempt to justify a certain position. Invariably, as noted with regard to the report concerning acid rain, such study results are often disregarded and fail to ultimately influence policy ...
... Lead in Gasoline - by the U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency , Office of Policy Analysis • • Complex Cleanup : The Environmental Legacy of Nuclear Weapons Pro- duction by the Office of Technology Assessment Reducing Risk : Setting ...
Contents
1 | |
7 | |
17 | |
How Policy Studies Should be Organized | 65 |
Methods and Roles of Environmental Policy Studies | 89 |
Rethinking the Choice of Methods for Policy Analysis | 113 |
International Perspectives | 129 |
Appendix ANational Academy of Sciences National Research Council Report Review Guidelines | 155 |
Acronyms | 159 |
References | 163 |
About the Authors | 175 |
Index | 177 |
Island Press Board of Directors 2001 | 188 |