Conceptualizing integrated policymaking: Does the diversification of environmental policy instruments contribute to increased sustainability?

Abstract

Most urgent societal issues are crosscutting the boundaries of established jurisdiction. The conventional environmental policy domain is unable to achieve environmental objectives by itself, and each policy sector must integrate environmental objectives. For instance, the lack of clarity of how the integration of environmental objectives into energy policy has transformed and modified energy policy is the reason behind the low levels of integrated policy-making achieved. The present research attempts to clarify how the diversification of environmental policy instruments contributes to integrated policy-making. The present research explicitly confirms that that an increase in the extent of inclusion of environmental policy instruments within relevant policy domains increases to the extent of diversification of environmental policy instruments; that an increase in the extent of inclusion of environmental policy instruments within relevant policy domains and structures that coordinate and monitor efforts within relevant policy domains increases to the extent of diversification of environmental policy instruments; and, that an increase in the extent of inclusion of environmental policy instruments within relevant policy domains ultimately resulting in a cross-sectoral instrument blend results in the increase in the extent of diversification of environmental policy instruments.