The central role of centralisation in environmental policy initialisation

While economic research on environmental policy is mainly concerned with instruments, political science concentrates on actors. The issue of centralisation needs to be analysed using a multidisciplinary approach because it is connected with both actors and instruments. Linking the Advocacy Coalition Framework with an economic approach, the paper first develops an innovative model in order to understand the mechanisms of centralisation and decentralisation in the different phases of policy processes. Focusing on environmental policy, the idea is developed that environmental policy needs the push of centralisation in order to institutionalise the prevailing social norm, but then should be organised decentrally to account for regional differences. The examples of air pollution, climate change and urban sprawl are used to test the explanatory power of the theoretical approach.environmental governance, social norms, federalism,

Actors, decisions and policy changes in local urbanization

Land-use policies have long been recognized as important driving forces of urbanization, but little research has been conducted on the interrelationship of actors, policy decision processes and changes in the built environment. In this paper, we use the advocacy coalition framework to analyse policy decisions that affected the development of the built environment in three Swiss municipalities between 1970 and 2007. We found that all three municipalities experienced the same major policy changes, namely a new definition of the role of urban management (1970s); the adoption of an environment- and problem-oriented approach in land-use planning (1980s) as well as an increased emphasis on public participation and intra-municipal coordination (1990s). Although national laws and actors have shaped the crucial driving forces of urban change, local actors, their coalitions and the local distribution of resources crucially determined these decisions in the study period. Our findings suggest that a stronger focus on local actors, their coalitions and resources could greatly improve our understanding of spatial development processes in Switzerland. For instance, as land ownership turned out to be a crucial resource, Swiss municipalities could benefit from engaging more actively in the land market

Linking land change with driving forces and actors:Four conceptual models

Models in land change research are often chosen arbitrarily based on practical rather than theoretical considerations. More specifically, research on land change is often based on a research framework with three crucial elements - driving forces, actors, and land change - in an ad hoc and case-specific configuration. The lack of solid and widely applicable concepts about the conceptual link between these three elements can negatively affect individual research projects and hamper communication and generalizations beyond the individual project. We present four basic models for linking land change with driving forces and actors. These models are illustrated with examples from the research literature. Based on the main characteristics of the models and practical considerations, we propose guidelines for choosing among the four models for specific studies. More generally, we want to raise awareness that land change research is especially demanding with respect to conceptual backgrounds and that conceptual considerations will help improve the scientific quality of individual studies as well as their potential contribution towards generic theories of land change

Linking Land Change with Driving Forces and Actors: Four Conceptual Models

Models in land change research are often chosen arbitrarily based on practical rather than theoretical considerations. More specifically, research on land change is often based on a research framework with three crucial elements - driving forces, actors, and land change - in an ad hoc and case-specific configuration. The lack of solid and widely applicable concepts about the conceptual link between these three elements can negatively affect individual research projects and hamper communication and generalizations beyond the individual project. We present four basic models for linking land change with driving forces and actors. These models are illustrated with examples from the research literature. Based on the main characteristics of the models and practical considerations, we propose guidelines for choosing among the four models for specific studies. More generally, we want to raise awareness that land change research is especially demanding with respect to conceptual backgrounds and that conceptual considerations will help improve the scientific quality of individual studies as well as their potential contribution towards generic theories of land change

Modelling structural change in the agricultural sector – An Agent-based approach using FADN data from individual farms

The development of multi-agent models for agriculture has allowed the inclusion of farm decision-making behaviour and interactions in the simulation of smaller agricultural regions. Important methodological impact for this has come in particular from scientists from Germany. Currently under construction, the SWISSland model claims to depict as realistically as possible the 50,000 family farms comprising the whole of Swiss agriculture in all their heterogeneity as regards farm and cost structures as well as farm decision behaviours, with the aim of improving the simulation and forecasting of structural change. This paper describes methodological aspects in the formation of the agent population by combining various data sources such as accounting and spatial data and the results of surveys. As its basis, SWISSland uses the 3300 Swiss Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) farms, whose representativeness is substantially improved by means of a corrective procedure. Individual-farm optimisation models simulate the heterogeneous behaviour of the agents, for whom a potential exists for land trade within regional groups. With the linking of different methods and recorded data, we can expect to see a marked increase in the quality of the assessment of policy consequences

Multidisziplinäre Agentendefinitionen für Optimierungsmodelle

Mit der Entwicklung von Multiagentenmodellen für die Landwirtschaft konnten betriebliche Entscheidungsverhalten und Interaktionen in die Simulation von kleineren Agrarregionen einbezogen werden. Wichtige methodische Impulse dazu kamen insbesondere von Wissen-schaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern aus Deutschland. Das sich im Aufbau befindende Modell SWISSland erhebt den Anspruch, die 50 000 Familienbetriebe der gesamten Schweizer Landwirtschaft in ihrer Heterogenität bezüglich Betriebs- und Kostenstrukturen sowie Verhal-tensweisen möglichst realitätsnah abzubilden, mit dem Ziel, die Simulation und Prognose des Strukturwandels zu verbessern. Dieser Beitrag beschreibt methodische Aspekte bei der Bil-dung der Agentenpopulation unter Verwendung verschiedener Datenquellen wie Buchhal-tungsdaten, räumliche Daten und Ergebnisse von Umfragen. Als Basis nutzt SWISSland die 3300 FADN-Betriebe des Schweizer Buchhaltungsnetzes, deren Repräsentativität mittels ei-nes Korrekturverfahrens wesentlich verbessert wird. Einzelbetriebliche Optimierungsmodelle simulieren das heterogene Verhalten der Agenten, für die innerhalb von Regionsgruppen ein potenzieller Flächenhandel möglich ist. Es ist zu erwarten, dass sich mit der Verknüpfung verschiedener Methoden und Datenmaterialien die Qualität der Politikfolgenabschätzung deutlich erhöhen wird

Farm Entry Policy and Its Impact on Structural Change Analysed by and Agent-based Sector Model

The Swiss agent-based model (SWISSland) claims to depict as realistically as possible the 50 000 family farms comprising the whole of Swiss agriculture in all their heterogeneity as regards farm and cost structures as well as farm decision-making behaviour and interactions, with the aim of improving the simulation and forecasting of structural change in agriculture. With the linking of different methods and recorded data, there is a marked increase in the quality of the assessment of policy consequences. Simulations are shown for policy measures which affect only farm entry by cutting socially motivated direct payments for young operators.agent-based model, sector model, farm entry, structural change, Farm Management,

Modelling structural change in the agricultural sector – An Agent-based approach using FADN data from individual farms

The development of multi-agent models for agriculture has allowed the inclusion of farm decision-making behaviour and interactions in the simulation of smaller agricultural regions. Important methodological impact for this has come in particular from scientists from Germany. Currently under construction, the SWISSland model claims to depict as realistically as possible the 50,000 family farms comprising the whole of Swiss agriculture in all their heterogeneity as regards farm and cost structures as well as farm decision behaviours, with the aim of improving the simulation and forecasting of structural change. This paper describes methodological aspects in the formation of the agent population by combining various data sources such as accounting and spatial data and the results of surveys. As its basis, SWISSland uses the 3300 Swiss Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) farms, whose representativeness is substantially improved by means of a corrective procedure. Individual-farm optimisation models simulate the heterogeneous behaviour of the agents, for whom a potential exists for land trade within regional groups. With the linking of different methods and recorded data, we can expect to see a marked increase in the quality of the assessment of policy consequences.Structural change, Swiss agriculture, multi-agent model, agent definition, linear optimization, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,