Bureaucratic Response to Citizen-Initiated Contacts: Environmental Enforcement in Detroit

1977 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan D. Jones ◽  
Saadia R. Greenberg ◽  
Clifford Kaufman ◽  
Joseph Drew
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Enforcement ◽  
Bureaucratic Response

Bureaucratic Response to Citizen-Initiated Contacts: Environmental Enforcement in Detroit

1977 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan D. Jones ◽  
Saadia R. Greenberg ◽  
Clifford Kaufman ◽  
Joseph Drew
Keyword(s):  
Census Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Environmental Enforcement ◽  
Bureaucratic Response ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Service Need

When citizens contact local government agencies, they generally attempt to influence service delivery decisions made by these bureaucracies. This paper examines the nature of citizen contacts, and the results of such contacts, with respect to the enforcement of environmental ordinances in Detroit, Michigan. We first examine the mechanisms responsible for the generation of citizen contacts. Assuming relations among citizen awareness, service need, and social well-being, we derive a downward-opening parabola as appropriate for describing the relationship between social well-being and propensity to contact a service agency. Using data on citizen contacts from City of Detroit agencies merged with census data, we find the expected relationship in evidence. We find that the Environmental Enforcement Division generally responds to citizen contacts, but the quality of the response varies with social characteristics of neighborhoods.

scholarly journals How to use Voluntary, Self-Regulatory and Alernative Environmental Compliance Tools: Some Lessons Learnt

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Johan N Nel ◽  
Jan-Albert Wessels
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Command And Control ◽  
Environmental Management Systems ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Legal Compliance ◽  
Environmental Enforcement ◽  
Enforcement Effort ◽  
Framework Conditions ◽  
And Control

A number of alternative environmental enforcement tools are available that may be used to enhance the environmental enforcement effort in South Africa.  Current debate focuses on which tools work effectively and the reasons for their success.  The debate is however dominated by issues concerning policy challenges, such as the adoption of alternative tools and necessary arrangements to ensure these tools contribute to overall environmental enforcement performance.  In order to contribute to the debate and stimulate further debate, this article offers a typology of alternative enforcement tool categories, lists the generally argued benefits and disadvantages of both command and control approaches and alternative enforcement tools, offers framework conditions for the successful adoption and use of some of the enforcement tools, and explores empirical and other evidence to determine whether environmental management systems are adequately able to drive sustained and consistent legal compliance.  A South African case study is also presented to illustrate the manner in which a combination of alternative enforcement tools may be integrated with command and control tools to ensure consistent and sustained legal compliance.

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