Download or read book The Use of Voluntary Approaches for Environmental Policymaking in the U S written by Keith Brouhle and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Voluntary approaches to achieve environmental improvements has grown in the United States since they were first introduced thirteen years ago. As of 2004, there are over 50 voluntary programs in the U.S. at the federal level alone. These take a variety of forms, from large, cross-industry efforts to reduce global climate impacts to smaller efforts aimed at specific industries. Other approaches, less used, include negotiated agreements, industry-initiated unilateral commitments, and state and regional voluntary initiatives. Despite the diversity of approaches in the U.S., they often pursue common, and sometimes overlapping environmental objectives and use similar methodologies to achieve such goals. While most voluntary initiatives state an explicit environmental goal, they may also have less direct policy objectives such as enhancing innovation or increasing awareness of environmental issues. Also, information about firm participation or environmentally responsible products and products is sometimes shared with consumers. Many argue in favor of the increased use of voluntary approaches in environmental policymaking on the basis of environmental effectiveness, economic efficiency, reductions in government administrative, monitoring and enforcement costs, increases in environmental awareness, and encouragement of innovation. Few programs have been evaluated properly on the basis of these objectives. The empirical literature sheds little light on the value of voluntary approaches in achieving goals set by U.S. environmental policy. The difficulty in evaluating voluntary approaches lies in sorting through the myriad of programs, identifying a discernible environmental goal, gathering adequate data for analysis, and measuring achievement of the environmental goal relative to a reasonable baseline scenario.
Download or read book Voluntary Approaches for Environmental Policy written by and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Environmental Policymaking written by Michael T. Hatch and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The methods employed in the pursuit of environmental protection are often highly contested, leading to alternative policy approaches. This book details the frequently neglected topic of these alternative approaches to environmental policymaking through case studies drawn primarily from the United States, Germany, and Japan. Among the policy instruments analyzed are eco-audits, voluntary agreements, tradable permits, green taxes, environmental impact assessments, and command and control regulations. Also examined are international regulatory arrangements to encourage sustainable forestry management practices. Various evaluative criteria are applied to each case study, including environmental effectiveness, economic and political efficiency, administrative efficacy, and technological innovation.
Download or read book The Handbook of Environmental Voluntary Agreements written by Edoardo Croci and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-10-06 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is a practical reference which provides common methodologies, implementation rules and evalutation criteria for researchers, policy makers and business operators in the use of environmental voluntary agreements between regulators and polluters The book takes into account the variety of forms and application situations characterizing this environmental policy instrument, illustrating methodologies, implementation rules and evaluation criteria for researchers, policy makers and business operators.
Download or read book Voluntary Environmental Programs written by Peter DeLeon and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2010 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Protecting the environment is often not the primary objective of businesses. As the world has become more environmentally aware, the necessity of environmental regulations becomes apparent. Voluntary Environmental Programs: A Policy Perspective examines different approaches to environmental protection in business. Typically, environmental improvements on the part of industry result from government regulations that command certain action from industry and then control how well it performs. An alternative approach is voluntary environmental agreements, where firms voluntarily commit to make certain environmental improvements individually, as part of an industry association, or under the guidance of a government entity. For example, many new initiatives targeting climate change originate from companies that voluntarily commit to reduce their carbon output or footprint.
Download or read book Rethinking Voluntary Approaches in Environmental Policy written by Rory Sullivan and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Voluntary approaches, such as corporate codes of conduct, have been widely advocated as alternatives to traditional approaches to environmental regulation. Yet concern remains that companies cannot be trusted to police themselves and that many of the putative advantages of self regulation, such as reduced cost and increased flexibility, have not been realised in practice. The book systematically analyses three initiatives (environmental management systems, the Australian Greenhouse Challenge and the Australian mining industry's Code for Environmental Management) and their contribution to public environmental policy. By moving the debate away from narrow considerations of economic efficiency towards a broader framework that accounts for the multiple goals to which environmental policy needs to be directed, this book significantly enhances our understanding of the role that voluntary approaches can play in achieving environmental policy goals. The book is required reading for all those concerned with the design and implementation of modern environmental policy.
Download or read book Voluntary Approaches for Environmental Policy written by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 1999 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Voluntary approaches are schemes whereby firms make commitments to improve their environmental performance.They cover arrangements such as public voluntary programmes, negotiated agreements or unilateral commitments. Until recently, voluntary approaches have not been subject to systematic analysis, inasmuch as, unlike taxes and tradable permits, they have not been prescribed by economic theory. Voluntary approaches were "invented" by those who devise and implement them: policy-makers, business associations, individual firms, non-governmental associations, etc. The use of voluntary approaches in environmental policy (e.g.negotiated agreements between Government and industry) is spreading and attracting growing interest in OECD countries. This book provides a systematic analysis of the different types of voluntary approaches, their economic characteristics, their role and effectiveness.
Download or read book Reality Check written by Richard D. Professor Morgenstern and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-09-30 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the early 1990s, voluntary programs have played an increasingly prominent role in environmental management in the U.S. and other industrialized countries. Programs have attempted to address problems ranging from climate change and energy efficiency, to more localized air and water pollution problems. But do they work? Despite a growing theoretical literature, there is limited empirical evidence on their success or the situations most conducive to the approaches. Even less is known about their cost-effectiveness. Getting credible answers is important. Research to date has been largely limited to individual programs. This innovative book seeks to clarify what is known by looking at a range of program types, including different approaches adopted in different nations. The focus is on assessing actual performance via seven case studies, including the U.S. Climate Wise program, the U.S. EPA's 33/50 program on toxic chemicals, the U.K. Climate Change Agreements, and the Keidanren Voluntary Action Plan in Japan. The central goals of Reality Check are understanding outcomes and, more specifically, the relationship between outcomes and design. By including in-depth analyses by experts from the U.S., Europe, and Japan, the book advances scholarship and provides practical information for the future design of voluntary programs to stakeholders and policymakers on all sides of the Atlantic and Pacific.
Download or read book Public Policies for Environmental Protection written by Paul R. Portney and published by Resources for the Future. This book was released on 2000 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A supplemental text for courses in environmental economics, environmental science, and environmental politics. Writing style is nontechnical and accessible. This second edition is revised to account for changes in the institutional, legal, and regulatory framework of environmental policy, with updated chapters on EPA and federal regulation, air and water pollution policy, and hazardous and toxic substances. There are new chapters on market-based environmental policies, global climate change, and solid waste. Portney is president and senior fellow of Resources for the Future. Stavins is professor of business and government and faculty chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Program at Harvard University. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book Decision Making for the Environment written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2005-07-01 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the growing number, complexity, and importance of environmental problems come demands to include a full range of intellectual disciplines and scholarly traditions to help define and eventually manage such problems more effectively. Decision Making for the Environment: Social and Behavioral Science Research Priorities is the result of a 2-year effort by 12 social and behavioral scientists, scholars, and practitioners. The report sets research priorities for the social and behavioral sciences as they relate to several different kinds of environmental problems.
Download or read book Voluntary Approaches for Environmental Policy An Assessment written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2000-01-11 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a systematic analysis of the different types of voluntary approaches for environmental policy, their economic characteristics, their role and effectiveness.
Download or read book Voluntary Approaches in Environmental Policy written by Annette Elisabeth Töller and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Greening of Industrial Ecosystems written by National Academy of Engineering and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1994-01-01 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 1970s, the first wave of environmental regulation targeted specific sources of pollutants. In the 1990s, concern is focused not on the ends of pipes or the tops of smokestacks but on sweeping regional and global issues. This landmark volume explores the new industrial ecology, an emerging framework for making environmental factors an integral part of economic and business decision making. Experts on this new frontier explore concepts and applications, including: Bringing international law up to par with many national laws to encourage industrial ecology principles. Integrating environmental costs into accounting systems. Understanding design for environment, industrial "metabolism," and sustainable development and how these concepts will affect the behavior of industrial and service firms. The volume looks at negative and positive aspects of technology and addresses treatment of waste as a raw material. This volume will be important to domestic and international policymakers, leaders in business and industry, environmental specialists, and engineers and designers.
Download or read book Voluntary Programs written by Matthew Potoski and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2009-09-18 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A conceptual framework and empirical case studies of the policy effect of voluntary programs sponsored by industry, government, and nongovernmental organizations. The recent growth of voluntary programs has attracted the attention of policymakers, nongovernmental organizations, and scholars. Thousands of firms around the world participate in these programs, in which members agree to undertake socially beneficial actions that go beyond the requirements of government regulations, such as following labor codes in the apparel industry, adhering to international accounting standards, and adopting internal environmental management systems. This book analyzes the efficacy of a variety of voluntary programs using a club theory, political-economy framework. It examines how programs' design influences their effectiveness as policy tools. It finds that voluntary programs have achieved uneven success because of their varying standards and enforcement procedures. The club theory framework views voluntary programs as institutions that create incentives for firms to incur the costs of taking progressive action beyond what is required by law in exchange for benefits that nonmembers do not enjoy (such as enhanced standing with stakeholders). Voluntary Programs develops this theoretical framework and applies it to voluntary programs sponsored by industry associations, governments, and nongovernmental organizations, organized around policy issues such as “blood diamonds,” shipping, sweatshops, and the environment. The wide diversity of cases—across sectors, sponsoring organizations, and objectives—provides valuable applications of the club framework, generates new insights for future research, and offers practical guidance for designing effective programs. Contributors David P. Baron, Tim Bartley, Tim Büthe, Cary Coglianese, Elizabeth R. DeSombre, Daniel W. Drezner, Daniel Fiorino, Mary Kay Gugerty, Virginia Haufler, Matthew J. Kotchen, Mimi Lu, Jennifer Nash, Matthew Potoski, Aseem Prakash, Klaas van 't Veld
Download or read book Voluntary Approaches for Environmental Policy Effectiveness Efficiency and Usage in Policy Mixes written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2003-06-18 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report assesses the use of voluntary approaches by building on a number of new case studies and an extensive search of the available literature.
Download or read book Voluntary Environmental Agreements written by Patrick ten Brink and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-08-25 with total page 565 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Voluntary environmental agreements (VEAs) – generally agreements between government and business – have been regarded by many as a key new instrument for meeting environmental objectives in a flexible manner. Their performance to date has, however, also led to considerable criticism, with several parties arguing that they are methods for avoiding real action that goes beyond "business-as-usual". Is either of these positions justified? The aim of this book is to highlight and learn the lessons from existing experience, looking not just at results but also at specific elements of agreements and also at the process of the agreement itself. Lessons are drawn from experience from across the world, covering the full range of environmental challenges, and from the perspective of key stakeholder groups. Importantly, the book also presents tools for assessing and improving existing agreements and includes recommendations and guidelines for future agreements in key areas such as climate change. It also deals at length with the problem of how such agreements might be used in developing and transitional economies. The overall view of the book is that there is a real potential for the future use of VEAs as part of the policy mix and as a tool for sharing the responsibility for meeting environmental objectives. For the agreements to play this role, however, significant steps are needed to ensure that they are effective, efficient, equitable and appropriately linked to a portfolio of other instruments. The book is divided into four sections. First, existing agreements, their development and efficacy are considered; second, the prospects for voluntary agreements in developing and transitional economies are discussed; third, a range of authors examine the role of VEAs as part of the policy mix to combat climate change; and, finally, the book concludes with an examination of how new tools for evaluating and improving VEAs could be utilized in the future. Voluntary Environmental Agreements will be of interest not only to academics, governments and businesses wishing to understand this specific instrument, but also to those already implementing or considering applying VEAs to meet their environmental objectives.
Download or read book Epa s Voluntary 33 50 Program written by Madhu Khanna and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A recent shift in the U.S. strategy for environmental protection is the use of voluntary programs and self- regulation for pollution control rather than mandated command- and-control approaches. If voluntary approaches are successful in reducing pollution, they also have the potential to be more cost?effective than existing command? and?control regulations because they allow firms flexibility to choose the most appropriate pollution control strategy, lower information costs and reduce the administrative burden on environmental agencies. Current analytical research concerning voluntary programs has examined their welfare impacts and the cost-effectiveness of using voluntary programs together with mandatory regulations. Recent empirical studies have been limited to examining firms' motivations to participate in voluntary programs. From an environmental policy perspective it is also important to investigate whether voluntary programs are more effective at reducing pollution than traditional approaches. It is necessary to explore the relative roles of mandatory regulations and voluntary programs and if they are complements or substitutes in pollution control. It is also vital to examine the consequences of participation on a firm's economic performance. If the government does not provide any financial incentive for participation in voluntary programs, their long-term feasibility as policy tools depends on their impact on a firm's profitability. These issues are examined in the context of firms in the U.S. chemical industry and their participation in EPA's 33/50 Program. Panel data for the years 1988-1993 are used. We evaluate the impact of the Program by developing a two-stage generalized least squares model that corrects for self-selection bias and controls for the effect of firm-specific factors on a firm's level of pollution and its economic performance. The empirical analysis shows that firms decided to participate in the 33/50 Program because of rational economic self-interest. Incentives for participation include expected gains due to public recognition and technical assistance and expected reductions in future liabilities and compliance costs under mandatory environmental regulations. This suggests that participation in voluntary programs depends on a framework of mandatory regulation that provide a credible threat of penalties if firms do not voluntarily self-regulate their emissions. We demonstrate that the Program led to a statistically significant decline in the release of toxic chemicals after controlling for sample-selection bias, the impact of mandatory regulations and firm-specific characteristics. We also find that the program had a negative and statistically significant impact on the net income of firms in the short run, but that future profitability of firms improved significantly as a result of the program.
