Implementation of the Environmental Action Programme for CEE
Sofia Initiative: Collaborative Programme on Improving Local Air Quality in Central and Eastern Europe (SILAQ)
Workshop on Economic Incentives in Environmental Decision-Making
Overview
Economic incentives are increasingly being used worldwide as innovative and
cost?effective ways to achieve national environmental objectives. Several
types of incentive?based approaches have been successfully used to effect
natural resource management and pollution control activities. Included among
the economic instruments examined are: positive measures such as environmental
subsidies to induce targeted (beneficial) outcomes, and negative incentives
such as user fees and emission taxes. The course also presents measures that
have been designed to enhance economic efficiency within an existing regulatory
framework. In addition to providing an overview of incentive measures, we
provide a framework for choosing and evaluating the effectiveness of incentive
based approaches. We also emphasize the extent to which these tools can be
used in concert with more traditional regulatory/command and control measures.
Objectives
The primary objectives of this course are to: 1) enable participants to understand
the potential role of economic incentives in national environmental strategies,
2) provide pragmatic information regarding the design and implementation of
incentive measures, and 3)show how incentives can be used alone or in concert
with regulatory approaches to more efficiently achieve environmental objectives.
Participants will be introduced to basic economic theory and a broad range
of incentive based tools that are applied to case?study examples throughout
the course. These interactive case?studies help to develop a better understanding
of the practical issues surrounding the use of incentive measures.
Methods
The course presented by USEPA has three primary components: 1) an overview
of essential economic theory, 2) design of incentive measures, and 3) regulatory
decision?making to ensure regulations and incentives are complementary. The
course includes case?studies, lectures and open discussions. A Student Guide
and Facilitator's Manual have been developed for the course. Student materials
are provided to participants in advance of the course for their review prior
to delivery.
Participants
The targeted audience for the course includes environmental policy makers
and other relevant government officials (national and sub?national levels),
NGOs, academicians, industry managers and private consultants.
Follow-Up Instructors will circulate class evaluation forms at the conclusion of the training. In addition, host country officials will be expected to follow?up with participants and report back to facilitators on the degree of success in applying lessons learned in the country where the training was delivered.
Module Manager:
Joseph Ferrante
Phone (202) 260?2790/ Fax (202) 260?2300
Email: ferrante.joe@epa.gov
Facilitators:
Anne Grambsch is a Senior Economist in the Office of Research and Development's
Global Change Research Program at the Environmental Protection Agency. She
is an expert on the potential effects of climate change and climate variability
on human health and was a Contributing Author to the 1997 Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report, The Regional Impacts of
Climate Change. She is currently a Lead Author for the USGCRP's National Assessment
Health Sector Report. While a member of the Climate and Policy Assessment
Division, Anne managed the Office of Policy's Climate Change Health Initiative,
and wrote extensively on health effects, adaptation strategies, and co-control
benefits of climate policies. Anne received a Master of Science Degree in
Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to working on climate
change issues at the Agency, she conducted research on implementing environmental
accounting systems and a comprehensive benefit-cost assessment of the Clean
Air Act, from 1970 to 1990.
Christine M. Augustyniak has been Associate Director of the Environmental Assistance Division of EPA since 1995. In that capacity, she develops policies for the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), and supervises a staff of approximately 60 professionals and clericals. Her major responsibilities include: policy and rule development for the Toxic Release Inventory, OPPT, EPA relations with States and Regions and development of place-based environmental protection programs. Christine holds a Ph.D. in Economics (1988) from the Horace Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI, a M.A. in Applied Economics, (1977) Horace Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan, and an A.B. in Economics cum laude, (1975) from Radcliffe College, Harvard University. Christine has taught the environmental economics courses to mid-level managers on several occasions.
