The effectiveness of EIA as an instrument for environmental governance: reflecting on 25 years of EIA practice in the Netherlands and the UK

TY - JOUR

T1 - The effectiveness of EIA as an instrument for environmental governance:

T2 - reflecting on 25 years of EIA practice in the Netherlands and the UK

AU - Arts, Jos

AU - Runhaar, Hens A.

AU - Fischer, Thomas B.

AU - Jha-Thakur, Urmila

AU - Van Laerhoven, Frank

AU - Driessen, Peter P. J.

AU - Onyango, Vincent

PY - 2012/12

Y1 - 2012/12

N2 - The European Union (EU) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive which was introduced some 25 years ago has had a major impact on decision-making practices in EU member states. In the professional literature, this impact has mostly been discussed under the heading of "effectiveness", with an emphasis being given in particular to procedural elements. The extent to which EIA has contributed to objectives, such as raising environmental awareness and leading to an incorporation of environmental values in decision-making has only been rarely investigated. This paper reflects on these latter two aspects of EIA effectiveness in two EU member states; the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Empirical evidence was compiled mainly on the basis of a comprehensive literature review and online surveys with EIA professionals in both countries. Our results indicate that overall the instrument is about equally effective in both countries with regards to the incorporation of environmental concerns in decision-making. As both countries have different governance mechanisms, further research is needed on why perceived effectiveness does not differ more.

AB - The European Union (EU) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive which was introduced some 25 years ago has had a major impact on decision-making practices in EU member states. In the professional literature, this impact has mostly been discussed under the heading of "effectiveness", with an emphasis being given in particular to procedural elements. The extent to which EIA has contributed to objectives, such as raising environmental awareness and leading to an incorporation of environmental values in decision-making has only been rarely investigated. This paper reflects on these latter two aspects of EIA effectiveness in two EU member states; the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Empirical evidence was compiled mainly on the basis of a comprehensive literature review and online surveys with EIA professionals in both countries. Our results indicate that overall the instrument is about equally effective in both countries with regards to the incorporation of environmental concerns in decision-making. As both countries have different governance mechanisms, further research is needed on why perceived effectiveness does not differ more.

KW - Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

KW - GOVERNANCE

KW - Effectiveness

KW - context

KW - NETHERLANDS

KW - United Kingdom

U2 - 10.1142/S1464333212500251

DO - 10.1142/S1464333212500251

M3 - Article

SN - 1464-3332

VL - 14

JO - Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management

JF - Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management

IS - 4

M1 - 1250025

ER -