Voluntary Environmental Programs

"Protecting the environment is often not the primary objective of businesses. As the world has become more environmentally aware, the necessity of environmental regulations becomes apparent. Voluntary Environmental Programs: A Policy Perspective examines different approaches to environmental protection in business. Typically, environmental improvements on the part of industry result from government regulations that command certain action from industry and then control how well it performs. An alternativeapproach is voluntary environmental agreements, where firms voluntarily commit to make certain environmental improvements individually, as part of an industry association, or under the guidance ofa government entity. For example, many new initiatives targeting climate change originate from companies that voluntarily commit to reduce their carbon output or "footprint."" "Voluntary Environmental Programs: A Policy Perspective provides an overview of current research on such programs, also known as VEPs, looking at issues such as what motivates firms to participate, how a VEP structure affects a company's efficiency and credibility with stakeholders, and who monitors the compliance of participants. This current work examines how a firm's environmental performance over time compares with VEP commitments, and also discusses the particular considerations for VEPs in developing countries, where information flows and regulatory oversight capacities differ from those of the United States."--BOOK JACKET.

Peter deLeon is a professor of public policy at the University of Colorado, and has published extensively. In 2008, he was chosen to be coeditor of the Policy Studies Journal.

Jorge E. Rivera is associate professor in the Department of Strategic Management and Public Policy at George Washington University. He is also the author of the forthcoming book, Business and Public Policy by Cambridge University Press.