Environmentally and socially sustainable policies are essential for good governance. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is the key tool for integrating environmental considerations into policies, programs and plans. This book focuses on SEA applied to policies. Through lessons learned from previous use of SEA on policies, it draws lessons on the strengths and weaknesses of current SEA methodology. It then goes on to analyze how policies are formulated and implemented and proposes a new conceptual framework for conducting SEA of policies thatpotentially could be more useful in influencing decision makers to integrate environmental sustainability considerations into policy formulation and implementation.
Good environmental policy is vital to achieving sustainable development. More important, perhaps, is ensuring that all policy, regardless of its focus, supports sustainable development. The federal government has two requirements to support the inclusion of environmental factors and sustainable development in its policies, plans and programs: the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals (Government of Canada, 2004a) and the sustainable development strategies required by the Auditor General Act, 1985. The Directive requires that federal proposals be subject to strategic environmental assessments. Sustainable development strategies establish environmental, economic and social objectives for federal departments and guide policy development. Using a grounded-theory approach and a survey of federal policy advisors, the researcher evaluates the level of awareness and consistency of application of these tools within six federal departments. The research supports sustainable governance by assessing benefits of increased interaction among these tools and by proposing actions to increase their effective application.
This unique sourcebook provides a global, state-of-the-art review of the rapidly evolving field of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) that is intended to serve as a baseline for the work of an OECD Task Team on SEA and a UNEP initiative on integrated planning and assessment. It describes trends in application and experience in different contexts worldwide, providing in-depth coverage of the status of SEA systems, and practice in developed, transitional and developing countries by a range of development agencies. The book draws on a large body of published and unpublished material, and contributions from a wide range of individual experts, organizations and agencies. It provides an unparalleled and invaluable understanding of the emerging scope and potential of SEA and describes how, when and where it is being used. The sourcebook includes a probing review of concepts, terminology, approaches and tools of SEA, and a comparative analysis of the different types of existing SEA systems. The volume also contains many case examples illustrating SEA practice in different countries and contexts, a full set of references and a number of appendices containing source materials.
This comprehensive Handbook shows how Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), an important decision support tool for strategies, policies, plans and programmes, is applied globally. It reflects on SEA practices and the advancements made over the past three decades in the development of SEA.
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) may be defined as a set of rules, principles, techniques and tools with the function of supporting the decision making process. The evaluation process is strategically relevant when applying the principles of environmental sustainability to regional and urban planning. SEA is a fundamental instrument for the environmental integration during the elaboration and adoption of plans; SEA offers an opportunity to bring about a real change of attitude and culture at strategic levels into strategic decision-making process; The objective of this study is to analyse the relationships between the various stakeholders and governmental institutions, with the aim of defining in what terms, with reference to regional governance, the theoretical principles of sustainable development (in terms of managing the relationship between natural resources and economic development) can be applied to the planning phases. The main aim is to build a framework for sequential activities in the planning process, of a new model of governance able to relate to different levels of government, from a political level to a local level.
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been associated with 'good governance' by bodies at national and international levels including the World Bank, OECD and UK and Scottish Government. Invoking concepts including transparency, accountability, public participation and partnership working, this SEA/good governace nexus has been promoted in Scotland where the government sees SEA as central to its sustainable development aspirations. The research examines the operation of the SEA/good governance nexus in the SEA processes of two Scottish cases: the A96 corridor Masterplan and the Clackmannanshire Alliance Community Planning environment framework, Greening Clackmannanshire. Data-gathering took place between 2007 and 2010 using a mix of qualitative methods. The data were then analysed using a realist governmentality lens to view SEA as a technique of government ostensibly seeking to instil environmentally-focused governance. Employing a framework drawn from Foucault and summarised by Darier (1996), the analysis is focused around three axes. The first axis, which considers centralisation tendencies in government, is crucial in considering whether SEA can be a useful meeting point between top-down and bottom-up approaches to sustainable development. The second, 'intensification of the effects of power', requires clear conduits for the flow of an environmentally-focused governmentality if Thérivel's (2004) aspiration of having decision makers 'thinking SEA' is to be realised. Finally, the power-knowledge axis opens up for discussion the role of expertise vis-á-vis the admittance to SEA of 'early and effective' public participation and an increasing emphasis on social learning in assessment. Crucially, a governmentality approach also admits a central theme in Foucault's conception of power: resistance. In contrast to providing opportunity to futher the legitimising aims of the SEA/good governance nexus in Scottish local authority SEA practice, the reseach exposes instances of resistance to both the democratising elements of good governance and to SEA itself, as the public and statutory consultation authorites find their efforts to constructively engage with the SEA process thwarted.
The integration of environmental concerns into other policy areas is widely recognized as a key element to achieve sustainable development. It also represents a challenge for the environmental community, requiring not only a new approach to policy-making but also changes to existing policies and their implementation. This essential book presents a diverse set of perspectives and experiences on how to support sustainable development through the integration of environmental issues into various policy sectors. The authors examine existing research on environmental policy integration (EPI) at thre.
. . . offering an enjoyable read in comparative politics and policy, it offers a point of reference for understanding the conceptual and empirical possibilities for further research in EPI. Darren McCauley, West European Politics . . . a bank of internationally based case studies written by leading environmental experts. The Environmentalist The organisation of th[is] book is exemplary, particularly for an edited volume. . . [A]n impressive intellectual contribution to the understanding of EPI. . . I strongly recommend it to scholars and students. . . and, crucially, also to politicians and civil servants who have attempted (or half-attempted) the task of remedying the historical neglect of environmental issues. Ian Bailey, Environment and Planning C Good social science may not raise our spirits, but it should improve our policy understanding. Andrew Jordan and Andrea Lenschow have produced a volume that provides a subtle and empirically informed understanding of environmental policy integration, using a design that looks both at the full policy cycle and at cross-national comparisons. From the foreword by Albert Weale FBA, University of Essex, UK Policy coordination is normally studied in hierarchical and institutional terms. This volume demonstrates the power of an idea to function as a framework for coordination. It offers an innovative study of policy coordination, as well as a thorough study of environmental policy. Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh, US This book deals with a critical challenge facing modern governments: how to integrate environmental thinking into all policy areas. It provides fascinating insights into the progress made in realizing this objective and is a must read for anyone interested in understanding how far we have come, and how far we still have to go, in greening government for sustainable development. James Meadowcroft, Carleton University, Canada This collection brings together leading scholars in the field to explore the origins and applications of different instruments of environmental policy integration from a comparative perspective. This book is a must read for environmental policy practitioners and scholars with an interest in how environmental outcomes can and are being improved. Miranda A. Schreurs, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany Environmental Policy Integration (EPI) is an innovative policy principle designed to deliver sustainable development. This book offers an unrivalled exploration of its conceptualization and implementation, drawing upon a set of interlinked case studies of the most common implementing instruments and the varied experience of applying them in six OECD states and the EU. Written by a team of international experts, it identifies and explains broad patterns and dynamics in what is an important area of contemporary environmental policy analysis. This insightful account of the state-of-the-art aims to offer a valuable resource for academics interested in environmental politics and policy analysis, as well as the broader, interdisciplinary theme of governance for sustainable development . It will interest advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students taking courses in comparative politics, public administration and environmental politics and policy-making. Given the continuing political relevance of sustainability, it should also appeal to NGOs, think tanks and international bodies attempting to coordinate policies across and within different levels of governance.
'Impact assessment of various types is now a widely used policy tool. This volume helpfully brings together conceptual discussions and case-studies to illustrate how impact assessment can be used to address issues of sustainability. It should be of considerable interest both to academic researchers and to practitioners concerned with the implementation of policies to support sustainable development.' - John Weiss, University of Bradford, UK The translation of the principle of sustainable development into policy and practice, and the evaluation of the outcomes of these strategic interventions, are some of the most pressing challenges facing policymakers in Europe and beyond. By exploring the conceptual and methodological issues relating to the evaluation of sustainable development, and analysing European practice and experience, the sixteen chapters in this volume provide a coherent and integrated contribution to our understanding of these issues. This volume will be of interest to researchers, policy analysts and practitioners in the area of impact assessment and sustainable development.
