The Role of Compliance in the Rule of Law, Good Governance, and Sustainable Development

Abstract

AbstractLinks among compliance, rule of law, and good governance are essential and indivisible, although not sufficient alone to achieve sustainable development. Compliance with environmental and sustainable development requirements can be improved by understand ing and applying the two main theoretical approaches: logic of consequences, and logic of appropriateness. Compliance can be improved more by combining the two approaches. Further work to disaggregate both the State and the firm, and to understand the role of biases, heuristics, and framing in actor's compliance calculations, remains to be done and promises important insights. Environment policy is one of the success stories of the European Union - thanks to European Union legislation we have made significant improvements such as cleaner air and safer drinking water. But we still face some real problems.' Margot Wallstrbm, former EU Commissioner for the Environment