Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
of science assessment (the interpretation of the research for policy pur-
poses), and the need for transparency and participation. He goes on to
discuss the issue of dispute settlement mechanisms, without considering
them necessary for environmental regimes since they pursue ef ectiveness
and implementation in entirely dif erent ways (von Moltke, 2000).
As mentioned earlier, one qualitative approach that is dif erent from the
others in the sense of introducing the concept of environmental ef ective-
ness, is that of Kütting (2000a, 2000b). She suggests a distinction between
institutional and environmental ef ectiveness, since most regime theories
are interested in the structure of the institution and the behaviour of the
actors in it, judging its ef ectiveness by the occurrence of change in this
behaviour, which it is assumed would eventually lead to a positive envi-
ronmental result. However, the change in actors' behaviour might not
actually result in environmental improvement, and even if it does, this
improvement might not be sui cient to solve the problem. In addition,
the assessment of the state of the environment before and after the regime
and how much of a change can be actually assigned to the regime itself
poses another methodological problem. For this reason, Kütting regards
the distinction between institutional and environmental ef ectiveness as
necessary, stressing, however, that a good dei nition should incorporate
both these dimensions since these are 'two sides of the same coin' (Kütting,
2000a, pp.30-34). Her approach looks at four areas of environmental
ef ectiveness, which describe the relation of an environmental problem to
the particular regime established for its abatement, and the social struc-
tures within which they are found. These four determinants are economic
structures, time, science and regulatory structures.
Economic structures include not only the structures concerned directly
with the agreement but also refer to the economic organization of
the society. Environmental problems can occur through the economic
organization of the society but they can also be avoided through the same
structures. Time is crucial when damage may be irreversible and this is
frequently the case in environmental problems so the time plan of the
environmental regimes has to account for that pressure. Science is neces-
sary in policy-making in order to dei ne the roots and the solutions to
the problems, but according to Kütting its importance should not only
be limited to being an input in the creation of the regime, but it should
also be regarded as a social activity consistent with other social processes,
emphasizing the constant interaction between science and policy. Finally,
regulatory structures are mainly concerned with institutional design and
ef ectiveness, referring not only to the structure of the agreement but also
to the other bureaucratic structures within which the regime operates, and
they are important because regime design matters (Kütting, 2000a, ch. 4).
