Environmental policy tools

Descriptions of environmental policy tools, including where they are used and their pros and cons.

Regulatory
Approaches
Market Based
Instruments and
Fiscal Mechanisms
Cooperative
Management
Agreements
Information
Disclosure
Voluntary Stewardship
and Corporate
Environmental Governance
Government with the key role as regulator; imposes rules and limits to activities through regulation.Market forces as the key role facilitated through regulation - engage price mechanism to motivate behaviour toward an environmental objectiveCooperative relations among government, industry & mediating public interests setting performance expectations through binding agreements.Citizen control through the forces of public scrutiny and citizen purchasing power to influence environmental behaviour of a target groupSelf imposed voluntary initiatives by regulated parties motivated through a stewardship ethic, social conscience and corporate governance

Traditional

Progressive

 

Prescriptive > ---------- > Greater Flexibility
Deterrent based > ---------- > Greater use of Incentives (in combination with deterrents)
Compliance objective > ---------- > Performance focused
Government acting alone > ---------- > Shared responsibility - partnerships
Higher government assurance > ---------- > Lower government assurance

Additional tools: