Session 2 Regulatory policy instruments Flashcards
setting enviro standards, Expertise and authority, and Implementation and enforcement
What are the 3 regulatory standards
production, emission and environmental quality
Compare the ambition of the standards
production = prevent emergence of pollution
emission = prevent release of ambition
enviro quality = prevent collapse of an ecosystem
compare attributing responsibility between the standards
production = easy
emission = easy
enviro quality = hard
Compare cumulative effect between the standards
Production = N/A
Emission = not accounted for
Enviro quality = accounted for
Production standards pros and cons
pros
- greatest ability to avoid pollution
- easily attribute blame
Cons
- expensive and inconvenient for companies
Emission standards pros and cons
Pros
- Most popular
- easily regulated and complied with
- easy attributing responsibility
Cons
- cumulative effect to accounted for
- expensive to monitor/develop
Enviro quality pros and cons
Pros
- accounts for cumulation
- allows for future planning of an area
Cons
- hard to attribute blame
- onus on companies to work together to comply with standards
Can you apply more than 1 standard?
the idea is that by applying one well you won’t have to waste resources on monitoring or confuse companies
What sanctions can be applied?
Civil penalty
Criminal penalty
License suspension
License revocation
What/who are regulators?
Public officials working in government departments and regulatory authorities tasked with drafting and enforcing regulations
Who delegates what to whom?
What do they set/adopt?
Parliament delegates tasks to regulators who will then set standards and engage with polluters
They adopt and enforce specific regulations based on legal act
Why does parliament delegate?
Expertise - scientific and technological, up to date professionals
What are the consequences of expertise?
Regulation means hierarchy - lay people vs experts
lack of collaboration between depts/disciplines lead to silo thinking
Why are regulators independent?
Objectivity/impartiality - experts not apart of a political party therefore make evidence based decisions
What is regulation?
What does it cover?
Command and control
Rule making
Policies
What are the 3 core assumptions of regulation?
why does pollution and unsustainable resource extraction occur?
Pollution and unsustainable resource extraction occur because:
Expertise - politicians aren’t enviro scientists (we need experts!)
Objectivity - Politicians are subscribed to their party’s ideology (we need neutral decision makers
Threat - we need a strong system of enviro standards with strict enforcement and effective provisions for punishment
What are 3 criticism of regulation?
Intellectual compartmentalisation
Hierarchy
Regulatory capture
Explain the criticism of Intellectual compartmentalisation in regulation
silo mentality - expertise’s aren’t overlapping or collaborating
Enviro issues can be so broad it is difficult to determine responsibility
This can lead to one pollution problem being shifted to another area - becoming some other departments problem
Explain the criticism of hierarchy in regulation
Lots of red tape
lay people don’t understand why a reg is applied and therefore won’t comply
regulators (professional enviro people) are not necessarily representative of the wider population i.e. all socio economic classes - therefore not so objective? I.e administrative rationalism
Explain the criticism of regulatory capture
Scenarios in which environmental inspectors develop, as part of their monitoring activities, an all too close relationship to the regulated industry, thereby undermining their ability to objectively assess situations, enforce environmental standards and apply penalties
What is administrative rationalism
Where the role of experts is emphasised rather than the citizen/producer/consumer in social problem solving. This stresses the relationships of the hierarchy.
