Strategic Environmental Assessmentin Policy and Sector Reform : Conceptual Model andOperational Guidance

World Bank ; University of Gothenburg ; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences ; Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment

World Bank

关键词: ACCESS TO INFORMATION;    ACCOUNTABILITY;    BANKS;    BENEFIT ANALYSIS;    CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT;   

DOI  :  10.1596/978-0-8213-8559-3
RP-ID  :  57881

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Around the world, it is increasinglybeing recognized that for sustainability goals to bereached, efforts need to go beyond complying with standardsand mitigating adverse impacts, to identifying environmentalsustainability as an objective of the development process.This approach requires the integration of environmental,sustainability, and climate change considerations intopolicy and sector reform. Because sector reform brings aboutsignificant policy change involving adjustments in laws,policies, regulations, and institutions, it is a sensitivepolitical process often driven by strong economic interests.Policy makers are subject to a number of political pressuresthat originate in vested interests. The recommendations ofenvironmental assessment are often of little relevanceunless there are constituencies that support them and havesufficient political power to make their voices heard in thepolicy process. While strong constituencies are importantduring the design of sector reform, they are even moreimportant during implementation. It follows that effectiveenvironmental assessment in policy and sector reformrequires strong constituencies backing up recommendations, asystem to hold policy makers accountable for theirdecisions, and institutions that can balance competing and,sometimes, conflicting interests.