Developing national environmental policy studies

Undertaking studies of a country's environmental policies, legislation and institutions; and developing cross-sectoral environmental policies and economic and sectoral policies that support reductions in wastes and the sustained use of resources.

At 1993, the most extensive set of environment policy studies was prepared for Thailand by the Thailand Development Research Institute, Harvard Institute for International Development of Harvard University and USAID; they cover virtually all the major natural resource sectors of that country, divided into three themes in 11 reports: natural resources for the future (sustainability, land, forestry, poverty, water resources); mineral resources development and its environmental implications (mining, sustainable land use, mineral development); and the industrialization of Thailand and the impact on its environment (industrialization, pollution, urbanization, energy).

Environmental Issues Papers (EIPs) have been prepared by the World Bank for all borrowing countries. They are intended as internal discussion documents to heighten awareness of environmental issues, delineate responsibility for addressing them in country operations, and achieve a consistent approach to their solution. They have been used to identify a wide range of environmental problems and common underlying themes, such as perverse economic incentives, insecure property rights and the lack of institutional capacity to tackle major problems. Conceptually, the EIPs are the first step in developing a coherent environmental strategy for a country. They are often followed by a progressively more detailed study (the National Environmental Action Plan) and culminate in the implementation of environmental projects and policies.