Research
Research in Environmental Planning and Management centers on three areas:
- Environmental policy implementation
- Transfer of environmentally friendly technologies
- The role of environmental non-governmental organizations in environmental protection.
Some research concerns systems in the U.S., but much of it relates to policies and programs in developing countries. The research in developing countries reflects the increasing importance of environmental issues in these countries and the growing internationalization of environmental management activities.
Students pursuing the PhD program augment their backgrounds in engineering and science with courses in public policy analysis, social science research methods, organization theory and other aspects of social science. Students whose research concerns environmental policy in developing countries typically spend several months abroad gathering data. When students work in countries where English is not the official language, they undertake extensive language training before going abroad for data gathering.
Worldwide Impact
PhD student research on environmental policies has concerned environmental impact assessment in several countries (e.g., the United States, the Philippines, Kenya and Colombia). Other policy studies have examined the implementation of industrial water pollution control programs in China, particularly the use of effluent charges and incentives for pollution prevention, and the use of environmental impact studies for proposed policies and programs. Work on the transfer of environmentally friendly technologies has focused upon the transfer of cleaner-coal technologies from Japan to China, and policies for promoting cleaner production at Chinese factories.
Research on non-governmental organizations has investigated how citizen participation in water system development has influenced system performance. Another project looks at the role of non-governmental organizations in protecting endangered species in China. For more information on these activities, contact Professor Leonard Ortolano directly (ortolano@stanford.edu).
