Instructor -- Andrew Light
Office/Office Hours --
Required texts:
Science as Social Knowledge, H. Longino (SSK)
The Theory of Environmental Policy, 2nd Ed. W. Baumol & W. Oates (TEP)
Economics of Natural Resources, the Environment and Policies, 2nd Ed., E. Kula (ENR)
Risk and Responsibility, W. Leiss & C. Chociolko (RR)
Between Two Worlds: Science, The Environmental Movement and Policy Choice, L. Caldwell (BTW)
Costing the Earth: The Challenge for Governments, the Opportunities for Business, F. Cairncross (CE)
Forcing the Spring: The Transformation of the American Environmental Movement, R. Gottlieb (FS)
Library Readings (LR)
The purpose of this class is to provide a comprehensive advanced introduction to environmental policy analysis. Environmental policy is a hybrid discipline, combining elements of "hard science," environmental science, economics, political science, law, sociology, as well as other fields. Like most fields with such a varied background, the active participation of many professionals in its study is a marker of its complex terrain.
For much of its "academic life" the discourse of environmental policy has been shaped and dominated by economists. Formulating environmental policy was simply a matter of structuring incentives in markets in such a way as to diminish the externalities associated with environmental problems: pollution, waste disposal, emulsion control, etc. So called Pigouvian taxes (after the economist A. C. Pigou) were never wholeheartedly embraced in North America (and certainly not in the rest of the world). More direct regulations were thought to be the most appropriate method of setting environmental policy and maintaining environmental quality. This turn led to the rapid development of more direct environmental policy techniques such as risk analysis and management. Reasons vary for the mixed response of governments to the economist's solutions. One answer is that environmental policy is complicated as a form of public policy because of its content: the environment is the subject of a robust and rigorous science which sets limits on its role in regulation outside of economic abstraction. The environment is also not a discreetly containable entity and so environmental problems are more often than not the site of overlapping interest by policy making organs. While it may be easy to set governing boundaries on many distributive problems, environmental issues as objects of public policy overlap multiple jurisdictions. Local, national, and international bodies come into conflict over the regulation of an area in which they may all have an interest. Even those problems which appear to be the discreet venue of one jurisdiction can be of interest to others as so called "upstream/downstream" phenomena. Finally, as an object of policy, the environment tends to be more emotive than other areas. For good or for ill, a significant portion of Americans, for example, call themselves "environmentalists," thus signaling that the environment is an issue on which they have a special interest. Many environmentalists believe that nature is something that can be harmed in a way similar to the harm of humans. Nature is not simply an object of policy, but a subject of concern. Such assumptions challenge the very root and rationale of policy formation, making the policy makers job all the more difficult.
This class will touch on all these issues. The first six weeks will be devoted to an understanding of the special peculiarities of science policy and the traditional tools for determining environmental policy: economics and risk analysis. We will endeavor to understand these tools, including their recent challenges and problems. The next six weeks of class will be divided into sections looking at environmental policy formation at the local, national, and international levels. We will try to analytically distinguish these different levels of policy formation as much as possible, recognizing however that they will rarely be completely separated. Finally, the last three weeks of the course will look at two alternative actors in environmental policy formation: corporations and environmental activists. We will ask similar questions of both. What has been the extent of the level of participation of these non-governmental actors? What could be the extent of their participation? And what sorts of social and political formations would best facilitate their future participation in policy formation? We will make extensive use of case studies in the discussion of the last nine weeks of the course.
Course requirements will include one short paper on the materials from the first six weeks of class in response to a specific question set by the instructor. One major research paper consisting in a specific environmental policy analysis must also be completed by the end of the term. The research paper topic must be approved by the instructor by the fifth week of class. A bibliography of the topic of the paper is due by the tenth week of class. Additionally, each student will make one class presentation on the readings. The research paper counts as 50% of the final grade. The short paper and class participation (including the in class presentation on the readings) count as 25% each. Under normal circumstances late work will not be accepted. Please see the instructor in specific cases as far in advance as possible. Late work turned in without prior notice will be penalized.
Each week you will be responsible for the assigned readings listed first in each week's schedule. Those readings marked as recommended supplementary texts are intended to serve as background materials for your papers and will not normally be necessary for class discussions.
Longino, SSK, first half.
Rouse, Knowledge and Power, Chapter 2, LR
Hawkesworth, sel. from Theoretical Issues in Policy Analysis, pp. 49-57, LR
*Hull, "Science as a Selection Process," from LR
Longino, SSK, second half
Caldwell, BTW, Chapters 1-3
Chiras, Environmental Science, 3rd edition, Chapter 1, LR
*Rouse, Chapters. 6 & 7, LR
*Chiras, Chapters. 2-4, LR
Kula, ENR, ¤ 1.1-1.7; 8.1-8.9,
Baumol and Oates, TEP, Part I
Baumol and Oates, TEP, Part II
Sagoff, The Economy of the Earth, Chapters. 3 & 4, LR
*Sagoff, Chapters 5-8, LR
*Kelman, "Cost-Benefit Analysis: An Ethical Critique," LR
Fischoff, Watson, and Hope, "Defining Risk," LR
Derby and Kennedy, "Risk Analysis: Understanding 'How Safe is Safe Enough?'," LR
Slovic, Fischhoff, and Lichtenstein, "Rating the Risks," LR
Wildavsky, "No Risk is the Highest Risk of All," LR
Starr, "Social Benefit Versus Technological Risk," LR
Hattis & Kennedy, "Assessing Risk from Health Hazards," LR
Leiss and Chociolko, RR
*Rucleshaus, "Risk, Science, and Democracy," RR
Buchholz, Principles of Environmental Management, Chapter 4, LR
Gaventa, Power and Powerlessness, Chapter 6, LR
Couto, Poverty, Politics, and Health Care, Chapters 3-5, LR
*Kula, ENR, Chapters 4 & 9,
*Ehrenfeld, "Hard Times for Diversity," LR
*Seamon and Mugerauer, "Dwelling, Place, and Environment," LR
Lake, "Overcoming local opposition to hazardous waste facilities," in Resolving Locational Conflict, LR
Greenberg and Anderson, "The uncertain state of knowledge about the effects of hazardous waste sites," Hazardous Waste Sites: The Credibility Gap, LR
Packet of Materials of Appropriate and Relevant New Jersey Environmental Statutes, LR
Chiras, Chapter 21, LR
Kula, ENR, Chapters 3, 5, 10
Packet of Materials of Major US Environmental Laws, LR
*Gilbert, Terrorism, Security and Nationality, Chs. 9-11, LR
Shrader-Frechette, BU
USDE, Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Plan, LR
Packet of Materials of Yucca Mountain authorization bills, LR
* Selections from special secion of Risk Analysis on Nuclear Waste, LR
*High Level Radioactive Waste Management: Proceedings of the Fourth International Congress, Nevada, 1993, LR
Caldwell, BTW, Parts II and III
Kula, ENR, Chapters 2 & 7
Johnson, Part One, On the Road to Brazil, LR
*Daly and Cobb, "Free Trade and Community," LR
*Norton and Ulanowiz, "Scale and Biodiversity Policy," LR
*Crosby, "Ecological Imperialism," LR
Pratt and Urquart, The Last Great Forest, Chapters 1-4, LR
Richardson and Gismondi, "Discourse and Power in Environmental Politics", LR
Packet of Materials on Alberta Northern Forests Hearings and Appropriate International Agreements, LR
Cairncross, CE
*Buchholz, Ch. 12, LR
Gottlieb, FS, Parts I & II
Gaventa, Chapters 1 &9, LR
*Norton, Part III, Toward Unity Among Environmentalists, LR
Packet of Materials on DuPont and the Savannah River Nuclear Weapons Production Facility, LR
Screen in Class, Building Bombs