Institutions and Instruments for Government Self-Regulation: Environmental Policy Integration in a Cross-Country Perspective

Abstract

For the integration of environmental concerns into sectoral policies, two approaches can be distinguished: horizontal integration delegates the responsibility mainly to the environmental departments. Vertical integration makes the departments responsible for themselves and can be labeled as "governmental self-regulation". Various instruments have been developed to make integration operational. This article provides a framework for assessing the conditions of use of such instruments. Data on their application in 29 OECD countries is presented. Tools for vertical integration are not widely applied so far although many authors advocate their introduction. Instead, there is still a strong reliance on tools for horizontal integration. Finally, the reasons for such restraint are discussed.