Institutions and Approaches for Policy Implementation

Government environmental institutions initiate and support the policy-making process, facilitate the development and implementation of environmental policies, and ensure compliance with environmental requirements. Several governments are moving away from the direct provision of services (e.g. water supply and sanitation, waste management) and towards regulating private markets for service provision. Although most OECD environment ministries have cabinet status, they often struggle to get approval for sufficiently ambitious environmental policies. Environment ministries need to work closely with other ministries, private sector and civil society for the development and implementation of environmental policies. This chapter examines recent trends and possible future developments in the institutions for developing and implementing environmental policies at the national and sub-national level. It identifies some of the main obstacles to successful environmental policy reform, and suggests how these can be addressed to build acceptance for ambitious environmental policies and to enhance the benefits of reform.