Constructing consensus: Environmental policy making in Massachusetts

In this paper we consider whether consensual approaches to environmental policy making-that is, policies that seek to foster cooperation and the search for consensus among industry, environmental groups, and regulatory authorities-are likely to succeed when pursued by states and local areas. Recent work in industrial and urban ecology suggests considerable benefits derive from a regulatory approach centered around cooperation, trust, and the search for consensus among interested parties. The conditions under which such consensual approaches to policy making are likely to succeed, however, are not well established. Drawing upon an emerging literature on trust and cooperation in advanced industrial economies, we examine whether local levels in the state are well positioned to pursue a consensual approach to environmental policy making. The research design involves case-study analysis of two environmental initiatives in Massachusetts-namely, the Toxics Use Reduction Act (1989) and revisions to state hazardous-site clean-up laws. The research clarifies the significance of overlapping material interests and of the process of consensus building in achieving successful environmental policy reform.