How can policy-makers pursue environmental goals while simultaneously keeping the burdens on industry to a minimum? Why does innovation play the key role in this balancing act, and what are the implications for the development of sustainable industrial societies? This book examines the evolution of environmental policy in 6 OECD countries. Through numerous examples, it contrasts the widely-varying political and regulatory styles and their consequences for innovation. Two industry-specific case studies provide a transnational perspective on the co-evolution of technology and environmental policy. The book concludes that innovation can be successfully harnessed by setting credible, long-term environmental goals and ensuring that regulatory instruments are grounded in flexibility, dialogue and trust.

This book, originally published in 1995, examines the evolution of environmental policy in 6 OECD countries. Through numerous examples, it contrasts the widely-varying political and regulatory styles and their consequences for innovation. Two industry-specific case studies provide a transnational perspective on the co-evolution of technology and environmental policy. The book concludes that innovation can be successfully harnessed by setting credible, long-term environmental goals and ensuring that regulatory instruments are grounded in flexibility, dialogue and trust.

A workshop proceedings address questions that lead to a better understanding of the interaction between innovation and the environment and explored elements of "best practice" policies that can stimulate innovation for the environment and shift our development path towards sustainability.

Surrendering to the notion that governments lack the political independence to set and enforce environmental standards, Corral (Institute for Strategy, Technology, and Policy at the TNO, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) asks if it is possible to influence the technological and organizational innovative behavior of firms by means other than regulation. Addressing environmental and technology policy analysts, practitioners, and lobbyists, he presents a behavioral simulation model that he hopes can be used to harmonize long-term societal interests with short-term firm interests. The model attempts to link firms' ultimate behavior to their perceptions of environmental risk, economic risk, community pressure, market pressure, regulatory pressure, technological capabilities, and organizational capabilities. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Structural environmental reform by firms and industries, governmental and intergovernmental agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and others is a worldwide phenomenon and the focus of this definitive collection. Includes a comprehensive introduction to and overview of Ecological Modernisation Theory; original, state-of-the-art review essays by distinguished international scholars; a selection of the best published works and debates from a quarter-century of related social science scholarship; an emphasis on environmental issues in Asian and other emerging economies; and an agenda for continued scholarship, policymaking, and practice. Accessible to students, policymakers, professionals, executives, and others interested in deeply understanding contemporary environmental issues and taking effective action for environmental solutions. Rigorous and sophisticated for use in graduate and advanced studies. Appropriate for courses in Sociology, Political Science, Policy Studies, Geography, Environmental Studies, Environmental Planning, Business, Economics, Asian Studies, Development Studies, and other fields.

This report takes a pragmatic approach to policies that support the development and diffusion of eco-innovation. Building on the OECD Innovation Strategy, it argues that eco-innovation is not merely about technological developments: non-technical innovations matter as well.

What role should governments play in protecting the environment and controlling the environmental impacts of industry? Do regulations benefit the environment? And how do they affect industrial innovation? Since the early 1970s, regulations have been used to coerce producers of goods and services into internalizing the environmental costs of production. These efforts have often faced opposition on practical and ideological grounds. Beginning in the 1980s, there has been a movement toward liberalization, coupled with the continued failure of the market to protect the environment as a public good. As a result, private and public sector interests have been debating the appropriate role of governments in protecting and improving the environment and controlling the environmental impact of industry. Using case studies from numerous countries, this book examines political and industrial trends and the responses to these challenges. The authors conclude that the complexities of environmental and economic relationships disallow universal solutions, and they stress the need for context-specific perspectives on the role of regulatory measures in environmental innovation.