ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: RELATION BETWEEN THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND A VOLUNTARY MEASURE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

摘要

Air, water and soil pollution caused by industrial activity are major problemson the environmental agenda of the Russian Federation. Generally, a mix ofpolicy instruments is recommended to tackle environmental problemseffectively. This would mean that but also voluntary environmental regulationmeasures could be helpful in abating Russias pollution problems.There is, however, a scientific debate going on whether voluntary policyinstruments are effective, and if they are, under what conditions. The analysismade by Gouldson and Murphy suggests that the institutional frameworkmust create pressure on polluters to take voluntary protection measures. Ifthis is the case, voluntary policy instruments prove their advantages overmandatory regulation: they circumvent acceptance and monitoring problemsand impose fewer costs on the state budget.Using Gouldson's and Murphy's analysis, this paper wants to examinewhether the institutional framework in the Russian Federation is favourablefor the implementation and diffusion of Environmental Management Systemsas a voluntary policy instrument. Therefore it describes legal provisions andstate institutions, trying to derive constraints and incentives imposed onpolluters to implement an Environmental Management System. To avoidfocusing exclusively on formal state institutions, it also presents three briefcase studies in order to identify economic or social institutions which might berelevant in this respect.The paper concludes that Environmental Management Systems are notactively promoted through environmental policy in the Russian Federation.The existence of Environmental Management Systems in Russia-basedcompanies can rather be explained by international diffusion, than byRussia's national environmental policy.