Abstract
The significance of multiple scales within processes of global environmental change has attracted increasing attention. Yet the fundamental tasks of linking multiple levels at which regulatory decisions are required to multiple scales of impacts have only recently been identified. This paper addresses the importance of attention to multiple scales in regulatory decisions, how those decisions should link together across scales of governance or decision-making, and how mismatches among scales of impact and scales of regulation can lead to regulatory gaps and breakdowns. This paper begins by presenting a definition of a cross-scale regulatory problem, building on the concept of an externality. It argues that virtually all-significant environmental regulatory problems involve multiple scales at which decisions are required, and that coordination of these decisions is one of the major issues in regulatory design. The paper provides a generalization of what is needed for effective cross-scale regulation, and then discusses the example of salmon aquaculture in British Columbia to illustrate these points. In our view, gaps and mismatches in the regulatory framework across institutional scales appear to contribute to social controversy over salmon aquaculture. These gaps include (i) the site-by-site orientation of the current regulatory process, even though the major impacts are cumulative, and regional in significance, and (ii) the degree to which limitations on the extent of salmon aquaculture are implemented by local governments, even though provincial and federal governments have the mandate and expertise to address these questions.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.