Law and Regulation



Policy Process

History of US Environmental Regulation

Regulation in Theoretical Perspective



Background:  Geissinger, LBJ Online Photo Archive, Wikimedia,  1967

The Policy Process




Most policies go through a relatively

similar series of steps:

Agenda Setting

Introducing a new environmental concern

to political discussion






Background: Wikimedia, 1970

POlicy Formulation

Designing policy goals and methods









Background:  Harris & Ewing, Library of Congress, Wikimedia, 1927

Policy Legitimation

Getting political support

Formal establishment of policy

Policy implementation










Background: EPA, National Archives, Wikimedia, 1974

Policy Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluating implementation and effects









Background: Souza, White House, Wikimedia, 2013

Policy Change

Right back where we started






History of US Environmental Regulation

Background: Underwood and Underwood, Wikimedia, 1906






Preservationist/Conservationist Movement

The Environmental Decade (1970s)


National Environmental Policy Act (1969)

Clean Air Act (1970)

Clean Water Act (1972)

Endangered Species Act (1973)


The Reagan Years










Background: Reagan Library, Wikimedia, 1984

After Reagan: THe Regulation

Debate








Background: Wikimedia, 2006

Thinking about Regulation


The big tradeoff:


Mandate that the externality be stopped

versus:

Government information problem



Background: Breugel the Younger,  Wikimedia, 1621

Why Regulate? (Salzman and Thompson, 2007)

  1. Stop problems before they happen, unlike court action
  2. Avoid information problem of who caused pollution
  3. Simplicity: regulated individuals either adhered to regulations or not

Ways to Regulate (Bennear and Coglianese, 2013)

  • Means standards:  require a specific technique when doing something
    • Easy to monitor, but no incentive to innovate or reduce output
    • Best when monitoring costs are high and there is clearly superior available tech (Sterner and Coria, 2012)
  • Performance standards: set a goal but allow those regulated to figure out how to achieve it
    • Encourages innovation/output reduction, but hard to monitor (Sterner and Coria, 2012)
  • Meta-means standards: require specific fact-finding/management procedures early in a decision making process











Background: Monet,  Wikimedia, 2011

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