Policy Instrument Choice and Diffuse Source Pollution

Abstract

Existing environmental law has been largely effective in controlling water pollution from major point sources. Non-point sources, such as agriculture or run-offs from a multitude of small enterprises in the urban periphery, now present a major challenge for policy makers. Many existing legal and policy instruments will be inappropriate, yet relying solely on voluntarism and exhortation has been manifestly unsuccessful. This article develops a systematic approach towards the assessment and choice of instruments. The range of possible options need to be evaluated according to different criteria, and these are assessed for potential effectiveness in the context of diffuse agricultural pollution in influencing farm management practices, landscape changes, and land use patterns. But the policy-maker needs also to assess the choice of instrument against the potentially conflicting criteria of cost-effectiveness, equity, and political acceptability, and it is vital to match the type of standard with the context in which it applied.