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Talking with the Donkey: Cooperative Approaches to Environmental Protection

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  • Kathryn Harrison

Abstract

In recent years, governments throughout the world have expressed growing interest in cooperative approaches to environmental protection, including negotiated rulemaking, flexible approaches t o enforcement, and voluntary codes and agreements. It is often argued that cooperative approaches are more cost effective, more conducive t o innovation, and better able t o promote fundamental attitudinal change than traditional “command and control” regulation. However, the overly broad term “cooperative approaches” fails t o acknowledge fundamental differences among these novel po I icies, including distinct ions between mandatory and voluntary programs and between those that involve bipartite negotiations between government and business and those that invite participation by a broader range of interests. This article analyzes these cooperative approaches first by offering a framework to distinguish among various cooperative policy instruments. Second, the article critically examines theoretical arguments and empirical evidence concerning one class o f cooperative approaches, voluntary challenges and agreements. The most striking finding is how little we know about the effectiveness of voluntary approaches. This is a function not only of the quite recent experience with these approaches, but also of more fundamental inattention t o program evaluation and obstacles to evaluation inherent in voluntary programs. The article concludes with a call for a more rigorous program of research to examine the effectiveness of the new policy instruments and t o compare them with traditional regulation and market‐based incentives.

Suggested Citation

  • Kathryn Harrison, 1998. "Talking with the Donkey: Cooperative Approaches to Environmental Protection," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 2(3), pages 51-72, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:2:y:1998:i:3:p:51-72
    DOI: 10.1162/jiec.1998.2.3.51
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    Cited by:

    1. Barry D. Solomon & James R. Mihelcic, 2001. "Environmental management codes and continuous environmental improvements: insights from the chemical industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(4), pages 215-224, July.
    2. Patricia R. TODD, 2009. "Corporate social responsibility and global standardization: sustainable environmental management in the chemical industry," Management & Marketing, Economic Publishing House, vol. 4(1), Spring.
    3. Roger A. Sedjo & Stephen K. Swallow, 2002. "Voluntary Eco-Labeling and the Price Premium," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 78(2), pages 272-284.
    4. Salinda Sedtha & Vilas Nitivattananon & Mokbul Morshed Ahmad & Simon Guerrero Cruz, 2022. "The First Step of Single-Use Plastics Reduction in Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    5. Marc Spiller & Brian McIntosh & Roger Seaton & Paul Jeffrey, 2015. "Integrating Process and Factor Understanding of Environmental Innovation by Water Utilities," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(6), pages 1979-1993, April.

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