EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

 

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

 

MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM

 

Course Number:        PADM 6163

 

Course Title:              Environmental Policy Analysis

 

Semester:                   Fall, 2001, Tuesday 6:30-9:30

 

Instructor:                  Professor William R. Mangun

 

Office:                         Brewster Hall 134 Telephone: 328-6156 E-mail: mangunw@mail.ecu.edu

 

Office Hours:             Tuesday 3:30-5:30;

            Thursday 3:30-5:30

 

Course

Description:                This course deals with analysis of the political, economic, and regulatory issues associated with protection and enhancement of the quality of the physical environment in which we exist.  The course focus is placed on analytical needs with respect to the formation of environmental and natural resource policies and the techniques required to develop adequate solutions to the problems that environmental and natural resource managers confront on a daily basis.  Particular emphasis is placed on the development of research skills that will allow the student to become reasonably knowledgeable about the manner in which environmental policies are formulated, changed, or terminated.

 

Prerequisites:             Some knowledge of biological  and ecological relationships would be helpful but is not required.  Students in need of  a good review of ecological principles should consider acquiring the following book: Frank B.  Golley, A Primer for Environmental Literacy.  New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.  This book provides a concise overview of ecological principles for the layperson.

 

Required

Textbooks:                 Virginia H.Dale and Mary R. English, eds., Tools to Aid Environmental Decision Making.  New York: Springer-Verlag, Inc., 1999.

 

                                                Dipak K. Gupta, Analyzing Public Policy: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques.  Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2001.

 

                                                Gerrit J. Knaap and T. John Kim, eds., Environmental Program Evaluation: A Primer.  Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1998.

 

                                                Ken Sexton, et al., eds., Better Environmental Decisions: Strategies for Governments, Businesses, and Communities.  Washington, DC:  Island Press, 1999.

 

            Recommended:          Samuel B. Green, Neil J. Salkind, and Theresa M. Akey, Using SPSS for Windows: Analyzing and Understanding Data, 2nd Edition.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000.

 

                                                National Research Council, Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Problem Solving: Concepts and Case Studies Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1986).  (Student will have to special order this book through the student stores)

 

Optional Books:

William R. Mangun and Daniel H. Henning, Managing the Environmental Crisis: Incorporating Values into Natural Resource Decisionmaking, 2nd ed.  Durham: Duke University Press, 1999.

 

Course

Requirements:

 

This course will have a highly interactive format.  Brief lectures will be used to address theoretical considerations and practical applications in support of the assigned readings.  Students will make presentations based on assigned readings.  Students will be expected to utilize data from the textbooks, material distributed in the classroom, government documents, and other valid sources to conduct an analysis of an environmental policy issue or problem of their choosing, in collaboration with the professor.  Students are encouraged to identify an issue early in the semester, confer with the professor as to acceptability for analysis, and get started on the formulation of a research design that will be used for the analysis.  Students will be expected to have read assigned readings prior to class and already thought about the material in order to facilitate in-class discussions and understanding of the subject matter.

 

Evaluation:    

 

Grades will be based on a mid-term examination (30%) and a detailed problem analysis of a specific environmental issue or problem (mutually agreed upon by the student and the professor by the 3rd week of classes) due at the end of classes (50%).  Twenty percent of each student's final grade will be based on the instructor's subjective evaluation of the student's in-class participation with regard to preparation for discussion of readings.

 

Aug 21INTRODUCTION

 

Discussion of public policy concepts and process.  Discussion of the elements of a research design for policy analysis [William Dunn, Public Policy Analysis is on reserve], discussion of research design issues in intergovernmental policy research identified by Goggin, et al. (ch.8) [the book is on reserve, M.L. Goggin, et al. Implementation Theory and Practice].

 

Required Reading:

 

Gupta, chs. 1-3.

 

Aug 28POLICY ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY

 

Required Reading:

 

Gupta, chs. 4-6;

 

 Joonas Hokkanen and Pekka Salminen, “Choosing a solid waste management system using multicriteria decisioin analysis,” European Journal of Operational Research 98 (1997) 19-36.

 

Recommended Reading:

 

 “Northwest Fisheries Management: An Analysis,” pp:1-17 in David L.Weimer and Aidan R.Vining,  Policy Analysis: Concepts and Practice, 3rd edition (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1999).

 

Richard A. Checile, “Introduction to Environmental Decision Making,” Environmental Decision Making: A Multidisciplinary Perspective (New York: Van Nostrand-Reinhold,1991), pp.1-13;

 

Sept 4  POLICY ANALYSIS METHODS AND STRUCTURING POLICY PROBLEMS

 

Required Readings:

 

Carl V. Patton and David S. Sawicki, Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning, 2nd ed.  Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1996, chapters 1-3. [ON LIBRARY RESERVE]

 

William N. Dunn, Public Policy Analysis: An Introduction, 2nd ed.  Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1994, chapter 5 “Structuring Policy Problems.” [ON LIBRARY RESERVE]

 

Recommended Readings:

 

Phil Brown, “Popular Epidemiology and Toxic Waste Contamination: Lay and Professional Ways of Knowing,” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Vol.33 (September):267-281. [ON PROQUEST]

 

Leslie M. Reid, Robert R. Ziemer, and Thomas E. Lisle, “Approaching Messy Problems: Strategies for Environmental Analysis,” Proceedings of EPA 1996 National Conference on Watersheds (http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/reid.html)

 

Sep 11 ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION MAKING AND SCIENTIFIC UNCERTAINTY WITH REGARD TO RESEARCH DESIGN IN ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE ANALYSIS AND SOURCES OF DATA

 

Required Readings:

 

Dipak Gupta, ch. 7.

 

Mary R.English, Virginia H.Dale, Claire Van Riper-Geibig, and Wendy Hudson Ramsey, pp. 1-31, “Overview [of Tools to Aid Environmental Decision Making];

 

C. Richard Cothern and N. Phillip Ross, “Uncertainties in Assessing the State of the Environment: An Overview of Environmental Statistics, Assessment, and Forecasting,” pp. 1-16 in Cothern and Ross, eds, Environmental Statistics, Assessment, and Forecasting.  Boca Raton, FL: Lewis Publishers, 1994. [ON LIBRARY RESERVE]

 

Peter Nijkamp, Environmental Policy Analysis: Operational Methods and Models.  New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1980, chapters 1-3. [ON LIBRARY RESERVE]

 

Recommended Readings:    

 

George S. Tolley, Philip E. Graves, and Glenn C. Blomquist, “The Environment: Methodology and Approach,” Environmental Policy: Elements of Environmental Analysis (Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Publishing, 1981), pp.1-21. [ON LIBRARY RESERVE]

 

Kent E. Portney, “Analyses of Public Environmental Policies,” Approaching Public Policy Analysis: An Introduction to Policy and Program Research (New York: Prentice-Hall, 1986, pp. 19-48 [ON LIBRARY RESERVE];

 

Kenneth H. Reckhow, "Importance of Scientific Uncertainty in Decision Making," Environmental Management, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 161-166.

 

Sep 18 ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION MAKING AND RESEARCH DESIGN IN ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE ANALYSIS AND MAKING SENSE OF NUMBERS

 

Required Readings:

 

Dipak Gupta, chs. 8, 9, 10.

 

            Michael E. Kraft, “Making Decisions About Environmental Policy,” pp.15-36 in Ken Sexton, et al., eds., Better Environmental Decisions: Strategies for Governments, Businesses, and Communities (Washington, DC: Island Press, 1999 [ON LIBRARY RESERVE];

 

James K. Lein, “The Nature of Environmental Decision Making,” Environmental Decision Making: An Information Technology Approach (London: Blackwell Science, 1997), pp.11-39 [ON LIBRARY RESERVE];

 

Mary R. English, “Environmental Decision Making By Organizations: Choosing the Right Tools, pp. 57-76 in Ken Sexton, et al., Better Environmental Decisions [ON LIBRARY RESERVE];

 

Douglas M. Brown, "Multiple Approaches to Environmental Decisions," pp. 25-45 in Process Engineering and Pollution Control and Waste Minimization, Donald L. Wise and Debra J. Trantolo, eds. (New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1994) [ON LIBRARY RESERVE];

 

Sep 25 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) and ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS

 

Required Readings:

 

Jeffrey P. Osleeb and Sami Kahn, “Integration of Geographic Information,” pp. 161-191 in Dale and English;

 

Alvin M. Pesachowitz, “Geographic Information System (GIS) for Environmental Decision Making,” pp. 287-297 in C. Richard Cothern and N. Phillip Ross, eds., Environmental Statistics, Assessment and Forecasting (Boca Raton: Lewis Publishers, 1994); [ON LIBRARY RESERVE]

 

Eliot J. Christian and Timothy L. Gauslin, “Mechanisms to Access Information About Spatial Data,” pp. 312 in Cothern and Ross, eds., Environmental Statistics, Assessment and Forecasting. [ON LIBRARY RESERVE]

 

“Watershedss,” (http://h2osparc.wq.ncsu.edu/about.html) (re: an expert system for watershed assessment and evaluation)

 

Recommended Reading:

 

V. Kerry Smith, Kurt A. Schwabe, and Carol Mansfield, “Does Nature Limit Environmental Federalism,” Duke Economics Working Paper Number #97-01 (http://www.econ.duke.edu/Papers/Abstracts97/abstract.97.01.html) To download this paper, you will need to download Postscript onto your computer.

 

Oct 2   VALUING THE ENVIRONMENT: ECONOMIC VALUES       

 

Required Readings:

 

Dipak Gupta, chs. 9 and 14.

 

Robin Gregory, “Identifying Environmental Values,” pp. 32-61 in Dale and English;

 

David L. Weimer and Aidan R. Vining, “Benefit-Cost Analysis,” pp.  331-381 in Weimer and Vining, Policy Analysis: Concepts and Practice, 3rd edition (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999).

 

John C.  Whitehead, “Economic Benefits of Improved Water Quality: A Case Study of North Carolina’s Tar-Pamlico River,” Rivers, Vol.3, No.3, pp.170-178.

 

Recommended Reading:

 

W.  Michael Hanemann, “Valuing the Environment through Contingent Evaluation,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 94, Vol.8, Issue 4, pp.  19-44. [ON EBSCO]

 

Maureen L. Cropper and Wallace E. Oates, “Environmental Economics: A Survey,” Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. XXX (June 1992), pp. 675-740. [ON EBSCO]

 

Oct 9   VALUING THE ENVIRONMENT: NONECONOMIC GOALS, PROJECTION TECHNIQUES, AND HISTORICAL DATA

 

            Required Readings:

 

            Dipak Gupta, chs. 9 and 10.

 

William R. Freudenburg, “Tools for Understanding the Socioeconomic and Political Settings for Environmental Decision Making,” pp. 94-129 in Dale and English.

 

Recommended:

 

Paul R. Kleindorfer, “Understanding Individuals’ Environmental Decisions: A Decision Sciences Approach,” pp. 37-56 in Ken Sexton, et al., Better Environmental Decisions [ON LIBRARY RESERVE]

 

Oct 16 REGULATIONS

 

Required Readings:

 

Mary L. Lyndon, “Characterizing the Regulatory and Judicial Setting,” pp. 130-160 in Dale and English;

 

Richard D. Morgenstern, “Introduction to Economic Analyses at EPA,” pp. 1-4 in Richard D. Morgenstern, ed., Economic Analyses at EPA: Assessing Regulatory Impact (Washington, DC: Resources for the Future, 1997);

 

Richard D. Morgenstern, “The Legal and Institutional Setting for Economic Analysis at EPA,” pp. 5-23 in Economic Analyses  at EPA; Richard D. Morgenstern, “Conducting an Economic Analysis: Rationale, Issues, and Requirements,” pp. 25-47 in Economic Analyses at EPA. [ON LIBRARY RESERVE]

 

Recommended Readings:

 

 National Research Council, Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Problem-Solving (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1986), pp. 1-134. The focus here is on the use of ecological knowledge such as information about populations and population interactions, community ecology, materials and energy, scales in space and time, projects as experiments, indicator species and biological monitoring, and dealing with uncertainty in environmental problem-solving.

 

Oct 16 ASSESSMENT AND NARROWING OF OPTIONS WITH REGRESSION TECHNIQUES AND DECISION TREES

 

Readings:

 

Dipak Gupta, chs. 11 and 12.

 

Miley W. Merkhofer, “Assessment, Refinement, and Narrowing of Options,” pp. 231-284 in Dale and English;

 

Oct 23 TAKE HOME MID-TERM EXAMINATION

 

Oct 30 NEPA ANALYSIS

 

Readings:

 

Frederic March, Ch.  3, “Analysis,” pp.  47-87 in Frederic March,  NEPA Effectiveness: Mastering the Process (Rockville, MD: Government Institutes, 1998).

 

Nov 6  NEPA ANALYSIS CONTINUED

 

            Readings:

 

Charles H. Eccleston, The NEPA Planning Process: A Comprehensive Guide with Emphasis on Efficiency.  New York: Wiley and Sons, 1999, chs. 1-3 and 9. [On Reserve]

 

Nov 13 ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM EVALUATION

 

Readings:

 

Gilbert Bergquist and Constance Bergquist, “Post-Decision Assessment,” pp. 285-316 in Dale and English.

 

Virginia H. Dale and Mary R. English, “Next Steps for Tools to Aid Environmental Decision Making,” pp. 317-328 in Dale and English.

 

Gerrit Knaap and T. John Kim, Environmental Program Evaluation: A Primer (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1998), chs. 1 and 10. [On Reserve]

 

 

Nov 20            FINAL PAPERS DUE

 

Nov 27                        PAPER PRESENTATIONS

 

Dec 4              PAPER PRESENTATIONS

 

Dec 11                        Final Exam