An Introduction to Compliance and Enforcement

Abstract

This book addresses the topic of environmental compliance and enforcement from a variety of perspectives. The law review and other literatures have long-recognized that effective compliance and enforcement programs — programs that are intended to encourage conformance with agency regulations — are essential components of successful regulation. Indeed, the literature recognizes that environmental laws may have little impact in the absence of effective compliance and enforcement programs. Such programs currently come in many shapes and sizes. Scholars in a range of disciplines, as well as policy makers, continue to invest considerable effort to improve understanding of the optimal mix of compliance-promotion approaches in different contexts. The mix of approaches to compliance, enforcement and ‘beyond compliance’ tools has expanded significantly in recent years through the introduction of private governance mechanisms such as ‘green supply chain management,’ expanding the role of the private sector in compliance and enforcement-like activities.