Moving from national to international environmental policy

Environmental problems will increasingly spill over national boundaries. An effective and efficient response to these problems will require international solutions; relying purely on national regulatory mechanisms to address global issues will not suffice. To meet this need, better international environmental programs must be developed that maximize collective gain, enforce property rights, address the range of environmental values present in different countries, and fairly determine who should pay for global-scale pollution control.     

Good Governance at the World Trade Organization: Building a Foundation of Administrative Law

Good governance lies at the heart of both the effectivenessand legitimacy of collective decision-making. In this essay,Professor Esty argues that, if the World Trade Organization(WTO) is to be successful in its designated role of promotingtrade liberalization and helping to manage international economicinterdependence, it needs a deeper commitment to good governance,advanced through a more refined structure of administrativerules and procedures. He identifies 14 core elements of goodgovernance and traces how administrative law might promote eachone in the WTO context. While acknowledging the difficulty ofbringing administrative law to the supranational level, Estyconcludes that there exists an emerging consensus around manyof the underpinnings of good governance—and thereforeplaces value in trying to build these elements in to the WTOpolicy-making process.     

Regulatory Transformation: Lessons from Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

As economies and citizen priorities continue to evolve, governance practices must also adjust to changing circumstances and public expectations. This article explores the important topic of regulatory transformation, drawing from both the academic literature and the author's recent experience heading Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The article makes the case for a focus on vision and execution as the critical starting points for good governance in the twenty‐first century, drawing on best practices from the world of management. It then addresses some of the constraints faced by government organizations in this evolving era. Finally, the article identifies five core elements of regulatory excellence: integration, innovation, incentives, investment, and implementation.