Governing Agri-Environmental Schemes: Lessons to Be Learned from the New Institutional-Economics Approach (original) (raw)
Related papers
Land Use Policy, 2013
In this paper, the objective is to assess the influence of the institutional organisation of AESs on farmers' participation in the schemes. The literature reveals that the institutional organisation of AESs can influence participation in the schemes and that this participation rate is an important indicator of the schemes' eventual environmental effectiveness. The paper describes several alternative ways to design and implement AESs, and two study regions were chosen in which several of these alternatives have been applied in practice: the region of Flanders, in Belgium; and the state of Arkansas, in the US. On the basis of the results obtained one could argue that farmers are generally more in favour of a flexible approach towards AESs, in which they have the freedom to decide on contract terms and the related payment. However, although this could have a positive effect on the environmental effectiveness of the schemes, it could also significantly increase the transaction costs.
Experience with agri-environmental schemes in EU and non-EU members
This paper primarily illustrates the great diversity of Agri-Environmental Schemes (AESs) in the world. Given a common legislation, the European Union (EU) shows a wide variety of implementation patterns across Members. This results from a series of factors among which a key one is the distribution of public support between the two pillars of the Common Agricultural Policy. This discriminates former EU members and new entrants. In addition, past experience with environmental policy also accounts for differences between the two categories. Indeed, former entrants have applied a less ambitious policy than new Members. Otherwise, a successful implementation of AESs requires an effective participation of local actors, as well as simple and transparent administrative procedures. This is acknowledged by the new rural development regulation.
Agri-environmental schemes in the European Union: the role of ex ante costs
Ecosystems, 2008
The purpose of this paper is to analyse land allocation between competing agri-environmental contracts taking into account institutional issues and farm household and farm characteristics. We consider a Biodiversity Protection Contract, Landscape Management Contract and a Restriction on Intensive Practises Contract. The paper shows that it is important to study the choice for an agrienvironmental contract in combination with the
Internalization of agri-environmental policies and the role of institutions
Journal of Environmental Management, 2009
Landscape and nature management a b s t r a c t Recent investigations have indicated that environmental and conservation policies frequently fail to reach anticipated aims, which raises concern over the cost-effectiveness of governmental policy-related expenditure. The limited effectiveness of policies is often attributed to methodological aspects of policy implementation. However, an alternative reason can be the limited internalization of policies, so that these are only implemented to a minimum level to attain benefits or avoid penalties. It is postulated that increased internalization of policies can considerably improve their effectiveness and that suitable institutional arrangements exist to support such increases in internalization. In this paper, we review the available literature on internalization and its institutional aspects, and propose a framework, based on self-determination theory, for evaluation of potential internalization by farm managers that are expected to implement policies. This method was applied to a small case study for dairy farmers in the nationally important landscape of the Northern Friesian Woodlands, The Netherlands. The results showed that organic farmers were internally motivated for nature conservation and had strong institutional links. They were more likely to internalize the goals of environmental policy schemes than conventional farmers who focused predominantly on financial rewards. We suggest that policy developers promote internalization of policies by tuning policy instruments to the specificities of farmers' motivations to preserve farmers' nature and to focus on institutional support to help internalization.
Agri-Environmental Policy: Understanding the Role of Regional Administration
2005
With regard to agri-environmental schemes (AES) under Regulation (EC) 1257/99, we suggest that their ineffectiveness, inefficiency, and divers uptake is inherent to the way they are institutionalised in the European CAP framework. Based on experiences of the GRANO research project that initiated two Agri-Environmental Forums in Brandenburg (Germany) to integrate local actors directly into designing and implementing local AES we
Applied Studies In Agribusiness And Commerce, 2012
The paper deals with the political and economic determinants of EU agri-environmental measures (AEMs) applied by 59 regional/country units, during the 2001-2004 period. Five different groups of determinants, spanning from positive and negative externalities, to political institutions, are highlighted and tested using an econometric model. Main results show that AEMs implementation is mostly affected by the strength of the farm lobby, and the demand for positive externalities. At the same time it emerges a prominent role played by political institutions. On the contrary, AEMs do not seem implemented by the willingness to address negative externalities.
The Economics of Agri-Environment Scheme Design: An Irish Case Study
2018
Efficient agri-environment schemes (AESs), the European Union’s main policy tool to improve the environmental performance of farms, address environmental concerns in a way which maximises the social benefit while minimising the cost. To design such schemes, policymakers are faced with a wide range of options. These include using voluntary or mandatory measures, top-down versus participatory approaches, collaborative versus coordinated participation, and whether to target the schemes or apply them horizontally. The efficiency of each of these options is dependent on the context and appropriateness of the application. Using Ireland as a case study, this paper assesses the evolving structure of AES design in the context of changing environmental targets, by creating an institutional framework to analyse past and current AESs and other measures. This is then compared to participation in AESs and the location of environmental public goods in order to determine the relative efficiency of ...
2004
Current research on the impact of agri-environmental schemes under the Rural Development Regulation (EC) 1257/99 (RDR) stresses the institutional, structural and cultural diversity, but also the wide range of natural conditions that shape the implementation processes. Furthermore, those agri-environmental policy instruments are closely linked to the development and institutionalisation of an European environmental policy in general and to a number of European directives, such as the 'Habitat' Directive, in particular. While taking the implementation of Article 16 of the RDR in the German federal state of Brandenburg as an illustrative case, we are aiming at developing a wider understanding of the implementation process and its regional impacts. In particular, we argue that it is necessary to understand the regional agrienvironmental discourse to which regional administrations refer to, the rationale of the administration itself and the mechanisms of decision making at the regional level. Regional administrations follow their own legitimate agendas and do not simply apply given measures, but modify and try to integrate them into wider regional strategies. In the case presented, we show that the regional administration's foremost concern to link political goals with given budgetary constraints resulted in a reshuffling of funds between schemes funded by different sources. We also show that European regulations are enforcing administrative procedures that do influence the design of agri-environmental schemes in a way that raises doubts about their environmental effectiveness. Finally, we argue, that the presumably sharp distinction between statutory environmental rules versus voluntary agri-environmental schemes is blurred in practice. Instead, they appear to be complementary in nature.
The Economics of Agri-environment Scheme Design
2018
Designing agri-environment schemes (AESs), the European Union's main policy tool to improve the environmental performance of farms, that result in participation in the areas of most need is a challenge faced by policymakers. A number of high level options are available to policy makers including the use of voluntary and mandatory measures, top-down versus participatory approaches, collaborative versus coordinated participation, and whether to target the schemes or apply them horizontally. Using Ireland as a case study, this paper assesses the evolving structure of AES design in the context of changing environmental targets, by creating an institutional framework to analyse past and current AESs and other measures. This information is then used in a spatial analysis comparing the location of important environmental public goods to participation in agri-environment schemes. The analysis shows that although higher uptake in extensive farming areas may not result in additionality, d...