Examining The Evolving Environmental Protection Policy Convergence In The Ontario Municipal Drinking Water, Wastewater And Stormwater Sectors: Analysis Of State/Non-State Governance And The Value Of An Environmental Management System Standard For The Wastewater And Stormwater Sectors

The central question this dissertation attempts to answer is whether there is practical value in Ontario legislatively mandating that municipalities implement an environmental management system (EMS) standard for their wastewater and stormwater activities, to be added to the drinking water quality management system standard (DWQMS) that is already statutorily required. This research explores the evolving governance approaches of the municipal drinking, wastewater and stormwater sectors in Ontario, examining theories of governance, a review of the literature concerning policy convergence and standards as instruments of organizational innovation and the legal and policy framework within which municipal water management takes place.<div>The research method employed a combination of semi-structured interviews, case studies and a focus group as data gathering techniques. The research finds evidence in support of and wide recognition of the practical value of EMS by assisting municipalities in meeting their environmental objectives, addressing environmental and property damage risks, providing an additional mechanism of public accountability, transparency, and improving alignment with the existing legal structure. It was also apparent that there is no political appetite in the provincial government to embark on a mandated EMS, so the preferred option at this time is a provincially-endorsed, voluntary sector-specific standard for wastewater and also for stormwater, which could constitute a catalyst to boost voluntary uptake of EMS by small to medium municipalities (as it is already occurring with large municipalities). This standard could be based on a customized variation of the ISO 14001, DWQMS and other standards to address existing regulatory gaps. </div><div>The research also reveals that Ontario municipal water management governance is notable because governments are drawing on independently developed and implementing non-state forms of regulation (such as EMS standards), in which private sector, civil society and multistakeholder rule instruments, processes, institutions and actors all perform important roles in support of conventional state-based regulation, showing both horizontal and vertical policy convergence. </div><div>A limitation of the research is that it focuses on water governance of municipalities of one jurisdiction. Future research could examine the practical utility of examining water governance to other contexts (e.g., water governance for First Nations, and in non-Canadian jurisdictions) </div>

Examining The Evolving Environmental Protection Policy Convergence In The Ontario Municipal Drinking Water, Wastewater And Stormwater Sectors: Analysis Of State/Non-State Governance And The Value Of An Environmental Management System Standard For The Wastewater And Stormwater Sectors

The central question this dissertation attempts to answer is whether there is practical value in Ontario legislatively mandating that municipalities implement an environmental management system (EMS) standard for their wastewater and stormwater activities, to be added to the drinking water quality management system standard (DWQMS) that is already statutorily required. This research explores the evolving governance approaches of the municipal drinking, wastewater and stormwater sectors in Ontario, examining theories of governance, a review of the literature concerning policy convergence and standards as instruments of organizational innovation and the legal and policy framework within which municipal water management takes place.<div>The research method employed a combination of semi-structured interviews, case studies and a focus group as data gathering techniques. The research finds evidence in support of and wide recognition of the practical value of EMS by assisting municipalities in meeting their environmental objectives, addressing environmental and property damage risks, providing an additional mechanism of public accountability, transparency, and improving alignment with the existing legal structure. It was also apparent that there is no political appetite in the provincial government to embark on a mandated EMS, so the preferred option at this time is a provincially-endorsed, voluntary sector-specific standard for wastewater and also for stormwater, which could constitute a catalyst to boost voluntary uptake of EMS by small to medium municipalities (as it is already occurring with large municipalities). This standard could be based on a customized variation of the ISO 14001, DWQMS and other standards to address existing regulatory gaps. </div><div>The research also reveals that Ontario municipal water management governance is notable because governments are drawing on independently developed and implementing non-state forms of regulation (such as EMS standards), in which private sector, civil society and multistakeholder rule instruments, processes, institutions and actors all perform important roles in support of conventional state-based regulation, showing both horizontal and vertical policy convergence. </div><div>A limitation of the research is that it focuses on water governance of municipalities of one jurisdiction. Future research could examine the practical utility of examining water governance to other contexts (e.g., water governance for First Nations, and in non-Canadian jurisdictions) </div>

Rules on tech firms will tighten across South Asia

Significance Policy convergence is visible across the region's four largest markets -- India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. However, success varies and, counter-intuitively, policy momentum seems unrelated to geographical spread, population size or economic heft of the national market. Impacts Data localisation laws may soon become a South Asian norm. Anti-misinformation rules will likely be used to facilitate surveillance. Tech firms will face new taxation obligations in the region.

Parties and policy: Convergence of pledges by Congress and the BJP in India 2009–2019

This article is an attempt to assess the extent of convergence in the policies of two major national political parties in India – Congress and the BJP – by examining their electoral pledges as expressed in their manifestoes during the last three general elections. We assumed that political parties take a stand on various policies to influence the opinion of the electorate. We arrive at the following conclusions. (1) Both the parties tend to respond to the needs of the marginalized – most of whom happen to be located at the median points of electorally salient policies. (2) Many of their promises in the areas of welfare policy are almost identical. The two parties hardly contradict each other on any of the major policies. (3) The beneficiaries of welfare policies tend to vote for a party that is formulating a favourable policy and is providing good governance. There is new trend in political representation in India. The needs and expectations of citizens are emerging as the primary determinants in the policy formulation of political parties.

The management of post-consumer pharmaceutical waste: a comparison between British Columbia and Ontario programs

The presence of pharmaceutical waste in the environment is an emerging concern. The challenges of achieving high levels of scientific certainty concerning its impacts has motivated jurisdictions to adopt medications return programs (MRPs) to safely manage the public’s post-consumer pharmaceuticals (i.e. unused/expired drugs). There are several variables for governments to consider when implementing MRPs, particularly when based on extended producer responsibility (EPR). This comparative policy analysis examined regulatory MRPs in British Columbia and Ontario as cases to compare and evaluate. It developed 12 criteria for an optimal MRP consistent with EPR practices, including key performance measures, and applied them to evaluate the British Columbia and Ontario programs. It then explored Ontario’s revised MRP, launched in 2013, to determine if the positive and negative indicators from British Columbia’s long-standing program have been incorporated, and analyzed if policy lesson-drawing or policy convergence occurred in practice.

The management of post-consumer pharmaceutical waste: a comparison between British Columbia and Ontario programs

The presence of pharmaceutical waste in the environment is an emerging concern. The challenges of achieving high levels of scientific certainty concerning its impacts has motivated jurisdictions to adopt medications return programs (MRPs) to safely manage the public’s post-consumer pharmaceuticals (i.e. unused/expired drugs). There are several variables for governments to consider when implementing MRPs, particularly when based on extended producer responsibility (EPR). This comparative policy analysis examined regulatory MRPs in British Columbia and Ontario as cases to compare and evaluate. It developed 12 criteria for an optimal MRP consistent with EPR practices, including key performance measures, and applied them to evaluate the British Columbia and Ontario programs. It then explored Ontario’s revised MRP, launched in 2013, to determine if the positive and negative indicators from British Columbia’s long-standing program have been incorporated, and analyzed if policy lesson-drawing or policy convergence occurred in practice.

COVID-19 and European carcerality: Do national prison policies converge when faced with a pandemic?

The article analyses an original dataset on policies adopted in 47 European countries between December 2019 and June 2020 to prevent coronavirus from spreading to prisons, applying event-history analysis. We answer two questions: 1) Do European countries adopt similar policies when tackling the COVID-19 pandemic in prisons? 2) What factors are associated with prison policy convergence or divergence? We analyze two policies we identified as common responses across prisons around the world: limitations on visitation rights for prisoners, and early releases of prisoners. We found that all states in our sample implemented bans on visits, showing policy convergence. Fewer countries (16) opted for early releases. Compared to the banning of visitation, early releases took longer to enact. We found that countries with prison overcrowding problems were quicker to release or pardon prisoners. When prisons were not overcrowded, countries with higher proportions of local nationals in their prisons were much faster to limit visits relative to prisons in which the foreign population was high. This research broadens our comparative understanding of European carcerality by moving the comparative line further East, taking into account multi-level governance of penality, and analyzing variables that emphasize the ‘society’ element of the ‘punishment and society’ nexus.