"Institutional linkages across EC economic and environmental policy realms"

Lenschow, Andrea. and Zito, Anthony R. (1997) "Institutional linkages across EC economic and environmental policy realms". In: UNSPECIFIED, Seattle, WA. (Unpublished)

Preview

PDF Download (2148Kb) | Preview

Abstract

The relationship between policy frames and actual policy outcomes and the role of ‘frame institutionalization’ has received some attention in the literature on environmental policy making (Jachtenfuchs and Huber 1993; Hayer 1993). This paper asks to what extent any of these frames is actually reflected in our empirical cases that pit environmental against economic objectives and how deeply and permanently institutionalized these frames have come. The next section explores the general EC institutional structure linking environmental integration to market integration, assuming that the general institutional framework will influence concrete policy experience. We define institutional structure to encompass organizational, procedural, and normative elements and analyze evidence of frame institutionalization with respect to these three dimensions. Two case studies follow. We selected these cases to represent the breadth of EC environmental policy, in order to uncover the impact of policy frames on the environmental area as a whole. We include waste policy, with its traditional media boundaries (concerns with soil as opposed to water and air pollution) and vertical layers of legislation, and the integration of environmental concerns into the Community’s agricultural policy, an issue area that has a horizontal dimension in other EC policy sectors. We assess whether these case studies give evidence of "frame institutionalization." We conclude by highlighting the factors that undermine the formation of "thick" institutional structures which would support efforts to integrate environmental and economic policy objectives.

Actions (login required)