Visiting Scholar Seminar
Spring 2011
EPA Social Scientist Matt Keene discussed ways to evaluate the impact of environmental programs. The environmental movement of the 20th century has evolved into a large, diverse and well-financed global community that is increasingly required to prove its worth. Though the environmental sector collects and uses data to determine the status of ecological and social systems, the effectiveness of the programs and policies it uses to affect this status remains largely untested. Learning from other fields, the environmental sector must exploit key leverage points, such as flows of information and self-organization, to overcome impediments and create incentives to initiate and realize an era of effectiveness in environmental management.
