Citation:
Environmental Policy in the 1990s: Toward a New Agenda, NJ Vig & ME Kraft (eds), (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1990), 418pp.
Environmental Policy in the 1990s: Toward a New Agenda is a collection of readings and offers an overview of the change in environmental policy from the 1970s to the 1990s. It looks at the current public policy dilemmas, dispute resolution, global environmental policy and the philosophical basis for environmental politics.
Environmental Policy in the 1990s: Toward a New Agenda is required reading for ARSC 5010/7010 as taught by Dr. Guy Burgess and Professor Charles Lester. The first section of this work will be helpful to those who are seeking an understanding of the transition in environmental policy and politics in the 1990s. Environmental policy from the 1970s to the 1990s is examined with particular focus upon the Reagan-Bush years. The maturation of public opinion and the Green lobby is discussed after presentation of the assertion that the trend toward increasing state activity in environmental policy may indicate a trend toward a new federalism.
The second section will be of interest to those who wish to understand the current public policy dilemmas. This section examines the problem of consensus building in congress and the potential, if not actual, failure of democratic discourse. A discussion of the relationship between economics and environmental regulation precedes a look at the growing field of risk assessment.
The third section will be of concern to those whose interests include dispute resolution and policy integration. The influence of the courts on environmental policy is given consideration. The potential benefits of environmental dispute resolution is weighed against the difficulty with which resolution is achieved. The question: Can comprehensive environmental decision-making work? is examined in some depth.
The fourth section will be of assistance to those who are interested in the potential for a global environmental policy. Environmental policy in three regions of the world are considered: Europe and Japan, the third world, and the American response to global imperatives. The fifth and final section focuses on the philosophical foundation of environmental policy and the future of environmental politics. The authors consider moral outrage and concern for obligations to future generations as motivators for progress in environmental policy. The editors conclude with a proposal for a new agenda for environmental policy.
Environmental Policy in the 1990s: Toward a New Agenda examines environmental policy-making from a political perspective. While it considers the philosophical and economic considerations appropriate to policy-making, it places environmental policy-making squarely in the political arena.