This collection of in-depth case studies emphasizes the diversity and inventiveness of local initiatives since the Rio 'Earth Summit' within different national settings. From the Earth Summit to Local Agenda 21offers a realistic counterpoint to the official monitoring and assessment procedures of national governments and international bodies. It highlights the problems of assessment and policy evaluation and clearly sets out the policy stages necessary for more effective realization of Local Agenda 21 objectives.

'THIS IS ESSENTIAL READING for all those who want to see that what they do, in rising to the challenge of Rio, draws properly on the experience of others and therefore makes their contribution all the more effective.' from the Foreword by JOHN GUMMER MP former secretary of State for the Environment 'An essential guide to how global agreements are being implemented at a local level. Sometimes people question whether global agreements impact on their lives. This book answers with a firm 'YES'.' FELIX DODDS UNED-UK Coordinator Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development called for the participation and cooperation of loca1 authorities in support of its economic, social and environmental goals. This collection of in-depth case studies emphasizes the diversity and inventiveness of local initiatives since the Rio 'Earth Summit' within different national settings. From the Earth Summit to Local Agenda 21offers a realistic counterpoint to the official monitoring and assessment procedures of national governments and international bodies. It highlights the problems of assessment and policy evaluation and clearly sets out the policy stages necessary for more effective realization of Local Agenda 21 objectives. WILLIAM M LAFFERTY is professor of political science at the University of Oslo, Norway, and director of the Program for Research and Documentation for a Sustainable Society (ProSus) within the Research Council of Norway. KATARINA ECKERBERG is associate professor in international relations at the Department of Political Science, Umea University, Sweden. Originally published in 1998

The book explores how implementation strategies engage sub-national, regional and local actors in the promotion of sustainable development.

Following the obligations incurred at the Rio Earth Summit and the related UNCED process, European states began to produce sustainable development strategies in the 1990s. Implementation efforts are increasingly using 'new' governance arrangements, including:

• use of public/private partnerships
• new policy tools
• policy transfer and benchmarking
• policy networks and involvement of stakeholder groups and institutional capacity enhancement.

The editors, whom are leading experts on the subject, explore the nature, extent and characteristics of the new governance arrangements that have been put in place to implement sustainable development strategies and initiatives at the sub-national levels. They also examine the approaches that sub-national governments adopted towards the mobilization of 'stakeholders' in these initiatives and what type of non-governmental actors have become involved.

In Pursuit of Sustainable Development will be of interest to students and researchers of politics, development, geography, planning and social policy.

Environmental values and concerns are meant to be reflected through environmental policy, which is then integrated into mainstream economic and social policy that serves to govern society and the economy in different sectors. Yet effective environmental policy integration has proved to be very difficult in practice and it remains largely an elusive aspiration.

This groundbreaking volume presents the first ever detailed examination of EPI at the national policy level, focusing on the key sectors of energy and agriculture within Sweden, a country that is widely recognized as a front runner in environmental management. The authors deconstruct EPI, look at what it means in policy formation and examine how environmental priorities are treated in relation to other political priorities. The final section of the book lays out the major findings and presents key lessons for international application, including institutional recommendations on how to enhance the potential for EPI. Most fundamentally, the book answers the questions of what works for EPI, why it works, and how it can be achieved in practice across sectors. The result is a rich and indispensable guide for all those involved in environmental and sustainable development policy issues.

The book explores how implementation strategies engage sub-national, regional and local actors in the promotion of sustainable development.

Following the obligations incurred at the Rio Earth Summit and the related UNCED process, European states began to produce sustainable development strategies in the 1990s. Implementation efforts are increasingly using 'new' governance arrangements, including:

• use of public/private partnerships
• new policy tools
• policy transfer and benchmarking
• policy networks and involvement of stakeholder groups and institutional capacity enhancement.

The editors, whom are leading experts on the subject, explore the nature, extent and characteristics of the new governance arrangements that have been put in place to implement sustainable development strategies and initiatives at the sub-national levels. They also examine the approaches that sub-national governments adopted towards the mobilization of 'stakeholders' in these initiatives and what type of non-governmental actors have become involved.

In Pursuit of Sustainable Development will be of interest to students and researchers of politics, development, geography, planning and social policy.

Environmental values and concerns are meant to be reflected through environmental policy, which is then integrated into mainstream economic and social policy and serves to govern society and the economy. Yet effective environmental policy integration (EPI) has proven to be very difficult in actual practice and it remains largely an elusive aspiration. This is particularly the case in core economic sectors such as energy and agriculture, which have enormous environmental impacts but are also sectors in which other priorities typically override environmental concerns in policy creation. This groundbreaking volume presents the first ever detailed examination of EPI at the national policy level, focusing on the key sectors of energy and agriculture within Sweden, a country that is widely recognized as a leader in Europe and worldwide. In doing so, the authors unpack EPI, look at what it means in policy formation and examine how environmental priorities are treated in relation to other political priorities.The final section of the book lays out the major findings and presents key lessons for international application including institutional recommendations on how to enhance the potential for EPI. Most fundamentally, the book answers the questions of what works and why for EPI, and how it can be achieved in practice across sectors. The result is a rich and indispensable guide for all those involved in policy formation in governments, NGOs and business and industry as well as environmental management professionals, and researchers and higher level students studying environmental policy.