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In the past there was hardly any use of economic instruments in environmental policy, mainly command and control measures were used. More recently, ecological taxes as well as tradable permits became more popular and voluntary agreements have been implemented. Using the Public Choice approach we ask for the reasons of this wider acceptance of economic instruments. We conclude that the use of market based instruments in environmental policy has not increased very much and their impact on the actual situation is still rather low, but there is hope of at least some increase in the future.

AbstractAs much as environmental problems manifest themselves as problems with the natural environment, environmental problems—and their solutions—are ultimately social and behavioral in nature. Just as the natural sciences provide a basis for understanding the need for environmental policy and informing its design, the social sciences also contribute in significant ways to the understanding of the behavioral sources of environmental problems, both in terms of individual incentives and collective action challenges. In addition, the social sciences have contributed much to the understanding of the ways that laws and other institutions can be designed to solve environmental problems. In this review article, we distill core intellectual frameworks from among the social sciences that scaffold modern environmental policy in industrialized country contexts—focusing on key contributions principally from political science, economics, psychology, and sociology to the analysis of environmental problems and their solutions. These frameworks underlie how environmental problems are defined at multiple scales and the conceptualization and empirical testing of policy solutions that seek to shape human behavior in ways that improve environmental quality and promote sustainable economic growth. With the planet facing continued environmental threats, improving environmental policy decision‐making depends on the insights and frameworks of social science research in addition to those of the natural sciences.

Evidence of climate change, resource shortages and biodiversity loss is growing in significance year by year. This second edition of Environmental Policy explains how policy can respond and bring about greater sustainability in individual lifestyles, corporate strategies, national policies and international relations. The book discusses the interaction between environmental and human systems, suggesting environmental policy as a way to steer human systems to function within environmental constraints. Environmental Policy is an accessible text with a multi-disciplinary perspective. Lively.

Early in its development, political science established itself as part of modern secular authority, with something to say about government and politics. This achievement did not, though, lead to much noticeable impact on governance and policy, with the exception of administrative reforms. The past five decades have witnessed impressive growth in influence, as political science self-confidently embraced an idea-driven policy science. Political behaviorism, fashioned as a response to the loss of Enlightenment naiveté, was a political as well as a science project, and its successes, on both fronts, drew many to a new type of policy science. A leading example is neoconservatism, whose practioner political scientists linked new political ideas with applied social science as a basis for challenging assumptions of the regulatory welfare state. By the end of the twentieth century, political science had returned to its earliest mission(s)—building a better science and strengthening democratic practice.

This article identifies a number of challenges that the social sciences will have to play a broader role in formulating international migration policies. This new role is subject to two major processes: globalization & the universal acceptance of human rights. Both processes affect policy options, albeit from different perspectives. Recent findings confirm that there is no direct link between poverty & South-North migration, despite the fact that many policy recommendations are based on this premise. The article suggests that the contradiction between policy recommendations & research findings is due to the weight of economic theory in migration policy. Yet economics does not take into account the complex nature of social, political, & cultural factors that also influence migrant motivations & migration processes. Recent efforts to formulate multidisciplinary theories should help devise more effective policies. Channels of communication will need to be improved between knowledge producers & policymakers. The article also recommends distinguishing between a conceptual & an instrumental use of knowledge. Adapted from the source document.

This volume explores the linkage of the life sciences with policy (biopolicy). It features two points of departure: the implications of the neurosciences for public policy; and the implications of evolutionary theory for policy-making. It includes several case studies of how these points of departure inform our knowledge of policy.

Does globalization lead to environmental degradation? What is the role of democracy for environmental performance and do left-wing governments really care more about the environment? Using a comprehensive measure of environmental performance, we test these three hypotheses for a panel of 134 countries for the period 2007-2016. Our findings show that globalization leads to better environmental performances. Interestingly, this result is predominantly driven by social, not by economic or political globalization. Although we find evidence that left-wing governments perform better than right-wing governments, it is centrist governments that have the highest environmental performance. The political system, i.e. democracy, turns out insignificant in all specifications.

Policy could be studied on the basis of three different models: ideological, social science, & policy sciences. Policy in accordance with ideology may not necessarily rely on solid rigorous research to back it up. Policy made solely in accordance with a rigorous social science model might be able to demonstrate a causal relationship between a given policy & desired outcomes, & in the process establish a clear role for good research in the policy process. But it often fails to account for the larger social & political context in which policy is formulated. Good policy should be based on rigorous social science research, while also factoring in the values of the broader society, that is, ideology. This would imply that in order to bridge the gap, that good policy should be formulated in accordance with the policy sciences model because it connects the rigorous methodology of the social sciences with the larger social policy context, that is, the broader policy process. When analyzing the reform of 1996 within the framework of these models, it becomes clear that while the legislation is highly ideological, it is not based on any serious research that would satisfy the criteria of the social science model. It fails the policy sciences model, in part, because its absence of clearly defined objectives, or a single objective, makes the task of measurement difficult. On the contrary, this legislation is a good example of why the policy community would do better to rely more on the policy sciences. 65 References. Adapted from the source document.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT STUDIES SINCE WORLD WAR II, GOING FROM WHAT THE AUTHOR CHARACTERIZES AS A SHIFT FROM A POLITICAL SCIENCE OF POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT, UNDERPINNED BY THE TENETS OF MODERNIZATION THEORY, IN THE 1960'S, TO A POLITICAL SCIENCE OF POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT EMPHASIZING A PUBLIC POLICY APPROACH IN THE LATE 1970S.