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Evidence in Environmental Policy: Learning Lessons from Health?

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The Politics of Evidence-Based Policy Making

Abstract

This chapter examines the literature on the ‘barriers’ to the use of evidence in environmental policy. I identify the ways in which policy theories can provide a more sophisticated account of the gap between scientific evidence and (a) the identification of environmental problems, and (b) meaningful policy responses. I add case study discussions to give more depth to abstract discussions: a comparison between tobacco control and climate change policies; and analysis of the current debate on ‘fracking’ which raises practical concerns regarding the use of evidence in issues involving an unpredictable mix of high salience, scientific uncertainty, policy ambiguity, multi-level governance, and public protest.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For an in-progress co-authored paper on the barriers to evidence in environmental policy.

  2. 2.

    Barrett et al. (2005); Clare and Creed (2014); Carneiro and Danton (2011); Carneiro and da-Silva-Rosa (2011); Cook et al. (2013a); Curry and Maguire (2011); Cvitanovic et al. (2013); Cvitanovic et al. (2014a); D’Aquino and Bah (2014); Dhanda and Murphy (2011); Dicks et al. (2014); Gan et al. (2011); Hamilton and Penny (2015); Haug et al. (2010); Hickey et al. (2013); Howard (2015); Huntjens et al. (2011); Johnstone et al. (2010); Lalor and Hickey (2014); Louwagie et al. (2012); Malcomb et al. (2014); Molnár (2014); Naughton and Hynds (2014); Nilsson et al. (2008); Rickards et al. (2014); Rissman and Smail (2015); Rowe (2013); Stephens et al. (2011); Stringer and Dougill (2013); Taylor et al. (2013); Webb et al. (2012); Wellstead and Stedman (2014); Yuen et al. (2013).

  3. 3.

    Curry and Maguire (2011); Dhanda and Murphy (2011); Gan et al. (2011); Johnstone et al. (2010); Malcomb et al. (2014); Naughton and Hynds (2014).

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  1. University of Stirling, Stirling, UK

    Paul Cairney

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  1. Paul Cairney
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Cairney, P. (2016). Evidence in Environmental Policy: Learning Lessons from Health?. In: The Politics of Evidence-Based Policy Making. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51781-4_4

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