The U.S. Pollution Prevention Act: A policy implementation analysis

Over a decade after enactment, this paper examines the implementation of the U.S. Pollution Prevention Act to identify those factors related to implementation that contributed to, or detracted from, the achievement of policy success. Implementation is analyzed in the context of a conceptual framework which builds on existing policy implementation literature by merging top-down and bottom-up considerations [Najam, A. (1995). Learning from the literature on policy implementation: A synthesis perspective (Working Paper WP-95-61). Laxenburg: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis]. This model connects the variables affecting implementation, allowing them to be analyzed in relation to each other. Strategic use of these linkages may also help overcome the policy “implementation gap.” The nature of the case study and findings are examined in relation to one another towards refinement of the model and conceptual generalizations based on use of the analytical framework.