There is no doubt that environmental policies, unlike the bulk of most other public policies, have developed enormously from the beginning of the eighties up until the beginning of the new millenium. These policies have served as a test ground for many policy concepts, which have been implemented in other areas since the beginning of the nineties: in evaluation, monitoring, implementation improvement schemes, contracting or redistribution. They opened up the way for new insights into the field of multilevel governance, new administrative arrangements and - more recently - the rediscovery of property and use rights as well as global and individual quota-regimes. This evolution has been closely documented by policy scientists and their work has occasionally greatly influenced ongoing governmental practice as well as the evolution of analytical frameworks and skills of policy science as a whole.
This book, written by practice-oriented political scientists, teachers and researchers from various universities in Europe and the rest of the world is a testimony to both policy and the evolution of policy analyses over the last 25 years. Its first contribution dates from the early eighties and the last one from 2007. On the basis of empirical observations all contributions have attempted to develop new conceptual perspectives for environmental policy analyses which furthermore can be generalized and applied to other policy fields.
Classics - still valid?.- Institutional Change.- Emergence of New Analytical Concepts.- New Readings for the 3rd Millenium.
From the reviews: "Knoepfel ! has published numerous works relating to public and environmental policy. In this context, his current work, in 15 chapters, is the result of efforts to highlight contributions on the impact of scientific debate on policy analysis in the environmental field with respect to its conceptualization and development on these issues as a whole. ! this work will enhance collections containing materials that include environmental analysis policy and politics in a global context. For specialized interdisciplinary collections. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through professionals." (J. H. Hunter, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (6), 2008)