ENSP 102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Environmental Policy, Natural Resource
14 May 2019
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Document Summary
Best evaluations gather extensive scientific data, analyze results objectively. Most focus on outcomes, which are distinguished from outputs. Outcomes: actual effects of public policies on environmental conditions. Outputs: agency decisions made under the law. Process/institutional evaluations: focuses on both environemntal outcomes and decision making processes. Example: air pollution control and the clean air act. Alternative approaches that have a lower cost to society: Providing greater flexibility to industry and state and local governments. Important costs and benefits may be omitted from calculations. Trade offs are more apparent as environmental policy becomes more and more at a marginal level. Comparative risk assessment: helath and enviornmental risks are ranked to allow for the setting of policy priorities. Some efforts can withstand a harsh risk assessment. Controversies exist over cost-benefit analysis and risk assessments. Benefits are typically harder to estimate that costs. Costs imposed on industry may be easy to identify and may be easier to measure.
