A Framework for Evaluating Environmental Policy Instruments: Context and Key Concepts
Abstract
The development of environmental policy evaluation has been slow, compared with many other realms, and many practices are still not well standardized. Environmental problems have some key features; for example they often have long time frames, are complex and concern geographically remote regions. Scientific knowledge is important in environmental policy but such knowledge is characterized by huge uncertainties. The key characteristics of both the problems and our knowledge of them should affect the evaluation of the policy instruments used to address them. An evaluation of Finnish wastewater permits is used as an example throughout the article. If evaluation of environmental policy is undertaken without due consideration of the specifics involved there is a great risk of identifying only minor impacts and low effectiveness. Properly conducted evaluations, however, can help us to make better decisions on both old and new environmental policy instruments.
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Monitoring by itself is insufficient: evaluation is also required, and the results used to inform decisions about environmental management in order to fulfil the adaptive management cycle.
“Of course, monitoring by itself is insufficient: evaluation is also required, and the results used to inform decisions about environmental management in order to fulfil the adaptive management cycle (Mickwitz, 2003; Schoenefeld and Jordan, 2017).”
From Policy-driven monitoring and evaluation: Does it support adaptive management of socio-ecological systems? (2019) · cites this paper as Mickwitz, 2003
Successful environmental management is often judged in terms of whether management practices have achieved environmental policy objectives.
“successful environmental management is often judged in terms of whether the management practices have achieved these environmental policy objectives (Mickwitz, 2003).”
From Policy-driven monitoring and evaluation: Does it support adaptive management of socio-ecological systems? (2019) · cites this paper as Mickwitz, 2003
Cites
Have We Learned Anything New About the Use of Evaluation?
Weiss, C. H. (1998) · American Journal of Evaluation · doi:10.1177/109821409801900103 · Cited by 384 · see citing works
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Nilsson, L. J., Bauer, F., Åhman, M., Andersson, F. N. G., Bataille, C., de la Rue du Can, S., Ericsson, K., Hansen, T., Johansson, B., Lechtenböhmer, S., et al. (2021) · Climate Policy · doi:10.1080/14693062.2021.1957665 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
Waylen, K. A., Blackstock, K. L., van Hulst, F. J., Damian, C., Horváth, F., Johnson, R. K., Kanka, R., Külvik, M., Macleod, C. J. A., Meissner, K., et al. (2019) · Science of the Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.462 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
“Of course, monitoring by itself is insufficient: evaluation is also required, and the results used to inform decisions about environmental management in order to fulfil the adaptive management cycle (Mickwitz, 2003; Schoenefeld and Jordan, 2017).”
Background
- Authors
- Mickwitz, P.
- Affiliations
- Finnish Environment Institute (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Mickwitz, Per
- ORCID
- Mickwitz, Per
- Venue
- Evaluation
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2003-10
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 415-436
- ISSN
- 1356-3890 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7153
- OpenAlex
- W2076433836
- Cited by
- 249
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 5.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Evaluation (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Evaluation and Performance Assessment
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Regulation and Compliance Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Environmental and Social Impact Assessments
- Keywords
- environmental policy evaluation, policy instruments, evaluation framework
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