Institutionalized Evaluation and Intergovernmental Relations: The Case of Coastal Zone Management

Abstract

The enactment of national environmental management programs was prompted, in large part, by the perceived failure of state and local government officials to deal adequately with pollution control and resource management problems. Paradoxically, the implementation of several important environmental management programs relies heavily on these same state and local officials. Congress has sought to resolve this paradox by requiring federal evaluation of state and local environmental planning and management activities. Many of these evaluations are little more than routine fiscal audits. However one agency, the Office of Coastal Zone Management, has sought to develop a systematic evaluation process focusing on all aspects of state coastal zone programs. These evaluative efforts have led to intergovernmental tensions, most notably with regard to the purposes and methods of evaluation, the appropriate roles offederal and state officials, and the resources available for evaluation. In spite of these tensions, there is broad agreement about the value of the evaluation process and its potential applicability in other contexts.