Better Environmental Policy Studies

Environmental policy studies commissioned by governmagencies 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 mrigorous 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 currapproaches to policy studies and presents a pragmatic new approach to the subject. Reviewing five cases that are widely regarded as the meffective policy studies to have been conducted in the United States in the last few decades, the authors presa comprehensive guide to the concepts and methods required for conducting effective policy studies. The book:•describes and explains the conventional approach to policy studies and its shortcoming•presents the history, impacts, and common elements of five successful policy studies•offers an in-depth look at the differtools and techniques of policy analysis•extends the concepts and principles of successful policy studies to their potential uses in the international arenaBetter 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.