Distributive Constraints On Environmental Policy In Central Asia

Abstract

This paper addresses the importance of distributive issues for environmental policy-making in Central Asian countries. Environmental problems in Central Asian countries are severe and require non-marginal policy interventions. Non-marginal interventions, however, are likely to lead to significant negative economic impacts on well-defined groups of people within Central Asian societies. The paper argues that distributive issues merit consideration in the process of policy-making. Implementing policies that neglect those negatively affected by them can lead to outcomes that are ultimately undesirable from a social perspective. Distributive issues therefore impose additional constraints on environmental policy and are likely to be salient features in Central Asian policy-making over the short to medium term.