Strategic Environmental Assessment in Policy and Sector Reform : Conceptual Model and Operational Guidance
Around the world, it is increasingly being recognized that for sustainability goals to be reached, efforts need to go beyond complying with standards and mitigating adverse impacts, to identifying environmental sustainability as an objective of the...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Publication |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000333037_20101115234008 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2517 |
| Summary: | Around the world, it is increasingly
being recognized that for sustainability goals to be
reached, efforts need to go beyond complying with standards
and mitigating adverse impacts, to identifying environmental
sustainability as an objective of the development process.
This approach requires the integration of environmental,
sustainability, and climate change considerations into
policy and sector reform. Because sector reform brings about
significant policy change involving adjustments in laws,
policies, regulations, and institutions, it is a sensitive
political process often driven by strong economic interests.
Policy makers are subject to a number of political pressures
that originate in vested interests. The recommendations of
environmental assessment are often of little relevance
unless there are constituencies that support them and have
sufficient political power to make their voices heard in the
policy process. While strong constituencies are important
during the design of sector reform, they are even more
important during implementation. It follows that effective
environmental assessment in policy and sector reform
requires strong constituencies backing up recommendations, a
system to hold policy makers accountable for their
decisions, and institutions that can balance competing and,
sometimes, conflicting interests. |
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