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   Policy Measures to Change Consumption and Production Patterns


The objective of this work element is to evaluate the effectiveness of command-and-control, economic and social instruments in country-specific situations, in order to facilitate a better understanding of the policy options that are available to policy makers in all countries.

Various agencies, national governments, and institutes (e.g. the World Bank, UNEP, OECD, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), and the Harvard Institute for International Development) have undertaken research aiming at evaluating the effectiveness of policy instruments for changing consumption and production patterns.

The project "Instruments for Change", a collaborative project of the DSD and the IISD  was undertaken with funding from the Government of Norway. The project created an internet resource database of examples of innovative policy instruments developed in various countries for changing consumption and production patterns.

The database, on the  internet  site "http://iisd.ca/susprod/" , includes sections on Definitions and Concepts, Key Sources, a Compendium of Instruments, Project Information, and information about electronic and other Conferences related to "Changing Consumption and Production Patterns". The Compendium of Instruments  includes about 100 different types of regulatory, market-based, social, and other types of instruments in various countries.

Another project undertaken in the context of this work element is the analysis of the implications of using Factor 4/10 as a strategy for policy implementation.  The Nordic Council of Ministers prepared a study on "Factors 4 and 10 in the Nordic countries", which was presented at CSD-7. The report includes case studies on the transport sector in Denmark, the forestry sector in Finland, the real estate sector and building sector in Norway, and the food supply chain in Sweden. For more information, please click on "News and Trends"(April-June, 1999)

The Division for Sustainable Development has also completed a study "Promoting Sustainable Production and Consumption: Five Policy Studies" (ST/ESA/1998/DP.7). The study analyzes and evaluates acid rain reduction in the United States,  leaded gasoline phase-out in Slovakia and the United States, palm oil effluent reduction in Malaysia, tradeable carbon offset instruments in Costa Rica, and tradeable water rights in Chile. 

The Division has also launched an initiative on promoting sustainable public procurement.

 

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Instruments for Change
Sustainable Public Procurement
 

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24 March 2003