Does problem complexity matter for environmental policy delivery? How public authorities address problems of water governance

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Problem complexity is often assumed to hamper effective environmental policy delivery. However, this claim is hardly substantiated, given the dominance of qualitative small-n designs in environmental governance research. We studied 37 types of contemporary problems defined by German water governance to assess the impact of problem complexity on policy delivery through public authorities. The analysis is based on a unique data set related to these problems, encompassing both in-depth interview- based data on complexities and independent official data on policy delivery. Our findings show that complexity in fact tends to delay implementation at the stage of planning. However, different dimensions of complexity (goals, variables, dynamics, interconnections, and uncertainty) impact on the different stages of policy delivery (goal formulation, stages and degrees of implementation) in various ways.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Environmental Management
Volume196
Pages (from-to)1-7
Number of pages7
ISSN0301-4797
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.07.2017

    Research areas

  • Sustainability Science - Complex problem solving, Complex problems, Diffuse source pollution, Point source pollution, Water Framework Directive, Wicked problems
  • Politics

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Of sustainability and storytelling - An introduction to this book
  2. A review of transdisciplinary research in sustainability science
  3. Innovating Corporate Accounting and Reporting for Sustainability
  4. Beech forests as a joint natural heritage of Europe - a synthesis
  5. Individual-tree radial growth in a subtropical broad-leaved forest
  6. Pathogen induced disturbance and succession in temperate forests
  7. Sünde in Gesellschaft, Kirche und neutestamentlicher Wissenschaft
  8. Comparative Perspectives in Sustainable and Responsible Business
  9. Wozu Senden? Sendevisionen im Ersten und Dritten Fernsehzeitalter
  10. Schulbasierte Achtsamkeitsprogramme mit Kindern und Jugendlichen
  11. Widening global variability in grassland biomass since the 1980s
  12. Keramikspektren hellenistischer Städte und ihre Auswahlkriterien
  13. Manipulating Belief in Free Will and Its Downstream Consequences
  14. Unobtrusive Respiratory Rate Detection within Homecare Scenarios
  15. Uncharted risk measures for the management of sustainable mining
  16. Interkulturelle versus transkulturelle Räume des Kulturtourismus
  17. How business actors can contribute to sustainability transitions
  18. Gemeinwesenorientierte Sozialarbeit in einem sozialen Brennpunkt
  19. Tracking the fate of aluminium in the eu using the matrace model
  20. REACH and the Role of Stakeholders in its Socio-Economic Analysis
  21. Collaborative epistemic writing and writing-to-learn in mathematics
  22. Catalysing Change in Higher Education for Sustainable Development
  23. Interaktives Fremdsprachenlernen: Potenziale und Herausforderungen
  24. Digitale, hochschulübergreifende Vernetzung durch Virtual Exchange