Adaptability of Environmental and Occupational Protections Systems to Major Societal Change: Lessons from the Polish Experience. H. S. Brown, D. Angel, and P. Derr, Marsh Institute, Clark University, Worcester, MA 01601
How should a society organize its system for controlling industrial pollution so that sustained gains in the environment, health and safety (EH&S) performance are obtained while simultaneously improving socioeconomic welfare? How well can existing systems serve as models for other societies? We investigated these questions using the recent experiences of Poland in privatized industrial firms. The research consisted of analysis of policies and institutions, five case studies of industrial firms, and a random survey of 109 firms. We found that since 1989 Poland has been fairly successful in establishing effective systems for environmental and occupational protection. These recent successes can be traced to: (1) Wide sharing of core values by industrial managers, regulators and policy makers, such as preference for negotiations over confrontations, acceptance of the rule of law and due process, tradition of environmental and health protection; (2) Institutional capacity to make decisions locally; (3) Capacity for institutional and policy learning. Comparison of the occupational and environmental systems, including their historical roots and the key stakeholders, also shows the importance of having a good "fit" between the regulatory structure and the values and attitudes shared by the regulators and the regulated community; and having a broadly based "ownership" by multiple societal actors.
Work supported by the National Science Foundation, Ethics and Value Studies.
Go to . . .