sufficient to understand and estimate the likely ecological responses to the major alternatives b... more sufficient to understand and estimate the likely ecological responses to the major alternatives being considered by decision makers. the SAB also advises epA to consider the use of a broader suite of valuation methods than it has historically employed, so long as the methods meet appropriate validity and related criteria. Such methods could be useful in identifying services of importance to the public, providing information about multiple types of values (including spiritual and moral values), and better capturing the full range of contributions stemming from ecosystem protection. To gain experience with new methods, epA should pilot and evaluate the use of alternate methods where legally permissible and scientifically appropriate. EPA can also improve its ecological valuations by carefully evaluating and overseeing its use of value transfers (in which value information collected at one site is used in the valuation of policy impacts at a different site) and more fully characterizing and communicating uncertainty. The Executive Summary of the accompanying report highlights the SAB's findings and recommendations in more detail and summarizes the science presented in the main body of the report. We appreciate the opportunity to provide advice on this significant topic and look forward to receiving your response.
This article considers the intellectual traditions that have shaped how we view science, current ... more This article considers the intellectual traditions that have shaped how we view science, current controversies related to science and environmental policy, and some alternatives to deal with the complexities of science and environmental policy making. It suggests that science should be seen as one form of knowledge that can inform policy, and that understanding the role of science and these other types of knowledge within the distinct phases of the policy process can provide greater insight into how we might think about and use science more constructively.
The fundamental political economy of early commitment to grandiose projects of uncertain environm... more The fundamental political economy of early commitment to grandiose projects of uncertain environmental consequence has not been overturned. Projects with environmental impacts often have unacceptably low rates of retum; governments and international agencies fiequently fail to reject projects of this type. Mire realistic evaluations will help. It is important to hold those responsible for appraising a project accountable for their appraisals. Pol;cyReahWoikgPapcsdisemiatbthefindp ofwokin pmpnandcncoungetIceangehofideasamongBankstffand aDos imn edin dovdopmnai tlcscpappca,d tbtedby theRecarAdvisoly Staff.canythenames oftheaudors.rdlcct cnlythcvicw,andshouldbuedandcitedaccrdingly.1heflepu,tions,andmlonsactheautforsown.7lhcydloud na be atzibuted to the Wodd Bank, its Bord of Di crs, its managemcat, or any of its mmbercount
protected through buying their suite of premium basic goods. The book aims to diagnose rather tha... more protected through buying their suite of premium basic goods. The book aims to diagnose rather than cure. With the exception of highlighting the success of the Montreal Protocol to decelerate chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions damaging the ozone layer, Szasz does not forecast effective government regulation against toxins. Szasz establishes a sophisticated theory connecting the ways in which private consumption of public goods leads to political complacency and inaction, yet through clear and engaging writing the book remains accessible to a wide audience. Shopping Our Way to Safety has implications for free market environmentalism, intergenerational justice, environmental political psychology, and the role of the state in liberal democracies; but most of all, it presents a strong claim for remedying environmental injustice.
... environment and development. For the first time, significant attention was paid to industrial... more ... environment and development. For the first time, significant attention was paid to industrial and urban pollution in developing countries, as well as the more traditional issues of soil erosion, water supply, and wildlife. In 1984, the ...
Science can reinforce the healthy aspects of the politics of the policy process, to identify and ... more Science can reinforce the healthy aspects of the politics of the policy process, to identify and further the common interest by discrediting policy options serving only special interests and helping to select among "science-confident" and "hedging" options. To do so, scientists must learn how to manage and communicate the degree of uncertainty in scientific understanding and prediction, lest uncertainty be manipulated to discredit science or to justify inaction. For natural resource and environmental policy, the institutional interests of government agencies, as well as private interests, pose challenges of suppression, over-simplification, or distortion of scientific information. Scientists can combat these maneuvers, but must also look inward to ensure that their own special interests do not undermine the usefulness of science. A. Introduction ∞ In Indonesia during the Suharto administration, the government's reaction to calls for reduced logging of the for...
ABSTRACT The policy sciences, in offering the most comprehensive approach to policy analysis and ... more ABSTRACT The policy sciences, in offering the most comprehensive approach to policy analysis and the sociopolitical processes that shape policy outcomes, is particularly appropriate for guiding the analysis required to promote sustainability. This article presents the main components of the policy sciences framework and demonstrates its potency in the crucial task of deepening the problem definitions required to select and enact policies to promote sustainability. As such, it provides background for the policy sciences articles of this special feature.
The article analyses the relationship between governments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in t... more The article analyses the relationship between governments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the oil and minerals sectors. The case is made that SOEs in these sectors have distinct peculiarities of behaviour, and are beset with specific dijficulties in addition to typical problems common to SOEs in all sectors. The reasom for the uniqueness of SOEs in the oil and minerals sector stem mainly from their large size, their capacity to earn and borrow foreign currencv, their strategic importance and other factors. The key to undersianding and reforming state oil and mining enterprises lies in recognizing that their sub-optimal behaviour is often caused by conflicts within government regarding control of the SOE's financial flows, including the natural resource rent. These conflicts are frequently aggravated by the inappropriateness of jiscal arrangements between these SOEs and their governments. Guidelines for reforming these arrangements are offered, which, in some respects, differ considerably from those applicable to conventional state-owned enterprises outside the natural resources sector.
Expert valuation, a process used to determine how much stakeholders value ecosystem aspects, plac... more Expert valuation, a process used to determine how much stakeholders value ecosystem aspects, places experts as intermediaries for public-preference input into the environmental policy process. While the rise and refinement of expert valuation might capture ecosystem values more comprehensively, two dilemmas are also worth of consideration: (1) will expert valuation and benefit cost analysis supplant democratic expression; and (2) will refinement of expert valuation still leave the ecosystem under valued? This article reorients the current problem from focusing on the need to refine methods to capture more ecosystem benefits to consider how valuation can contribute to a set of more democratic processes that allow the public to contribute to and consider a broader range of policy options.
sufficient to understand and estimate the likely ecological responses to the major alternatives b... more sufficient to understand and estimate the likely ecological responses to the major alternatives being considered by decision makers. the SAB also advises epA to consider the use of a broader suite of valuation methods than it has historically employed, so long as the methods meet appropriate validity and related criteria. Such methods could be useful in identifying services of importance to the public, providing information about multiple types of values (including spiritual and moral values), and better capturing the full range of contributions stemming from ecosystem protection. To gain experience with new methods, epA should pilot and evaluate the use of alternate methods where legally permissible and scientifically appropriate. EPA can also improve its ecological valuations by carefully evaluating and overseeing its use of value transfers (in which value information collected at one site is used in the valuation of policy impacts at a different site) and more fully characterizing and communicating uncertainty. The Executive Summary of the accompanying report highlights the SAB's findings and recommendations in more detail and summarizes the science presented in the main body of the report. We appreciate the opportunity to provide advice on this significant topic and look forward to receiving your response.
This article considers the intellectual traditions that have shaped how we view science, current ... more This article considers the intellectual traditions that have shaped how we view science, current controversies related to science and environmental policy, and some alternatives to deal with the complexities of science and environmental policy making. It suggests that science should be seen as one form of knowledge that can inform policy, and that understanding the role of science and these other types of knowledge within the distinct phases of the policy process can provide greater insight into how we might think about and use science more constructively.
The fundamental political economy of early commitment to grandiose projects of uncertain environm... more The fundamental political economy of early commitment to grandiose projects of uncertain environmental consequence has not been overturned. Projects with environmental impacts often have unacceptably low rates of retum; governments and international agencies fiequently fail to reject projects of this type. Mire realistic evaluations will help. It is important to hold those responsible for appraising a project accountable for their appraisals. Pol;cyReahWoikgPapcsdisemiatbthefindp ofwokin pmpnandcncoungetIceangehofideasamongBankstffand aDos imn edin dovdopmnai tlcscpappca,d tbtedby theRecarAdvisoly Staff.canythenames oftheaudors.rdlcct cnlythcvicw,andshouldbuedandcitedaccrdingly.1heflepu,tions,andmlonsactheautforsown.7lhcydloud na be atzibuted to the Wodd Bank, its Bord of Di crs, its managemcat, or any of its mmbercount
protected through buying their suite of premium basic goods. The book aims to diagnose rather tha... more protected through buying their suite of premium basic goods. The book aims to diagnose rather than cure. With the exception of highlighting the success of the Montreal Protocol to decelerate chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions damaging the ozone layer, Szasz does not forecast effective government regulation against toxins. Szasz establishes a sophisticated theory connecting the ways in which private consumption of public goods leads to political complacency and inaction, yet through clear and engaging writing the book remains accessible to a wide audience. Shopping Our Way to Safety has implications for free market environmentalism, intergenerational justice, environmental political psychology, and the role of the state in liberal democracies; but most of all, it presents a strong claim for remedying environmental injustice.
... environment and development. For the first time, significant attention was paid to industrial... more ... environment and development. For the first time, significant attention was paid to industrial and urban pollution in developing countries, as well as the more traditional issues of soil erosion, water supply, and wildlife. In 1984, the ...
Science can reinforce the healthy aspects of the politics of the policy process, to identify and ... more Science can reinforce the healthy aspects of the politics of the policy process, to identify and further the common interest by discrediting policy options serving only special interests and helping to select among "science-confident" and "hedging" options. To do so, scientists must learn how to manage and communicate the degree of uncertainty in scientific understanding and prediction, lest uncertainty be manipulated to discredit science or to justify inaction. For natural resource and environmental policy, the institutional interests of government agencies, as well as private interests, pose challenges of suppression, over-simplification, or distortion of scientific information. Scientists can combat these maneuvers, but must also look inward to ensure that their own special interests do not undermine the usefulness of science. A. Introduction ∞ In Indonesia during the Suharto administration, the government's reaction to calls for reduced logging of the for...
ABSTRACT The policy sciences, in offering the most comprehensive approach to policy analysis and ... more ABSTRACT The policy sciences, in offering the most comprehensive approach to policy analysis and the sociopolitical processes that shape policy outcomes, is particularly appropriate for guiding the analysis required to promote sustainability. This article presents the main components of the policy sciences framework and demonstrates its potency in the crucial task of deepening the problem definitions required to select and enact policies to promote sustainability. As such, it provides background for the policy sciences articles of this special feature.
The article analyses the relationship between governments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in t... more The article analyses the relationship between governments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the oil and minerals sectors. The case is made that SOEs in these sectors have distinct peculiarities of behaviour, and are beset with specific dijficulties in addition to typical problems common to SOEs in all sectors. The reasom for the uniqueness of SOEs in the oil and minerals sector stem mainly from their large size, their capacity to earn and borrow foreign currencv, their strategic importance and other factors. The key to undersianding and reforming state oil and mining enterprises lies in recognizing that their sub-optimal behaviour is often caused by conflicts within government regarding control of the SOE's financial flows, including the natural resource rent. These conflicts are frequently aggravated by the inappropriateness of jiscal arrangements between these SOEs and their governments. Guidelines for reforming these arrangements are offered, which, in some respects, differ considerably from those applicable to conventional state-owned enterprises outside the natural resources sector.
Expert valuation, a process used to determine how much stakeholders value ecosystem aspects, plac... more Expert valuation, a process used to determine how much stakeholders value ecosystem aspects, places experts as intermediaries for public-preference input into the environmental policy process. While the rise and refinement of expert valuation might capture ecosystem values more comprehensively, two dilemmas are also worth of consideration: (1) will expert valuation and benefit cost analysis supplant democratic expression; and (2) will refinement of expert valuation still leave the ecosystem under valued? This article reorients the current problem from focusing on the need to refine methods to capture more ecosystem benefits to consider how valuation can contribute to a set of more democratic processes that allow the public to contribute to and consider a broader range of policy options.
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Papers by William Ascher