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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the Ecodesign Directive and the extent to which it provides a regulatory framework for life‐cycle assessment approaches which underlie integrated product policy (IPP), thus providing a horizontal approach to product legislation as a new approach to regulating pollution.

The paper draws on academic commentary as well as official papers, European communications and legislation.

The development and application of the Ecodesign Directive is highlighted along with the different regulatory approach it poses which is shown to result from the application of life‐cycle assessment and IPP.

The impact on the development of products will be extensive in that they will be required by mandatory rules to be designed with a view to the reduction of their whole life environmental impacts.

The approach is to highlight a new paradigm for regulating pollution and environmental impacts.

Although the particular policies that groups establish may serve to differentiate those groups from others in the broader community, policies are better envisioned as aspects of group life in the making than as structures or rules that define the character or operations of the groups under consideration. Addressing instances of policy as humanly engaged ventures, this statement attempts to demystify policy by (a) examining organizational directives in process terms, (b) explicitly incorporating people into the study of the policy‐making process. This paper also addresses policy in ways that (c) are more amenable to ethnographic research on actual instances of policy and (d) contribute to a sustained, comparative analysis of “policy in the making”.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the prospects of integrated planning and management of the environment in the context of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and river basin planning.

The paper analyses the legal framework of the WFD and other related water and environmental legislation as well as the provisions for integrative practice in the WFD. Moreover it analyses the potential for integration with issues that are not provided for in the WFD, such as land use. The procedural elements of the WFD and other EU legislation are analysed for identifying common elements within a modern consensus and efficiency based planning mode.

Three aspects of the integrated management framework for water and other environmental resources are highlighted. The first concerns the need for interaction between spatial land use planning and the integrated river basin management plans of the WFD, in order to ensure that land‐use plans do not contradict water goals and that water planning also takes into account broader landscape related aspects. This demands the establishment of platforms for institutional interplay. The second is the need to integrate water goals into sectoral policies. This may be ensured by activating the impact assessment procedures for projects, plans and programmes which may have an impact on water resources and quality. The third concerns elements and procedures which are common to several pieces of legislations (e.g. management plans, monitoring, public participation), and which could benefit from the establishment of common databases, spatial information systems, and methods of communication.

The paper aims to identify key issues related to integration of the WFD with other environmental EU legislation, the associated challenges posed to water management and other environmental management institutions and procedures, and the information systems and methods which may facilitate the integration.

The increasing trend towards sustainable development has seen a shift from ‘end of pipe solutions’ to the ongoing threat of pollution. Policy makers have come to accept the need for some form of inbuilt environmental standards to be included in any overall planning strategy. These shifts come in the wake of the Brundtland Report and the Rio World Summit. They have also shaped environmental policy. A central feature of this new thinking is the theory of ‘Ecological Modernisation’ (EM). Underpinning this debate are the theorists Janicke, Weale and Hajer, who have each contributed to the conceptualisation of EM as a feature of modern society. It can be argued that EM theory reflects a critical new positioning of the environmental debate, moving away from the periphery of social, cultural and political channels and becoming an important aspect of policy planning in these areas.

Sexual misconduct (sexual assault and sexual harassment) in the US military is a long-standing problem. The military has implemented many policies and programs to address sexual misconduct in its ranks. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the processes of military sexual misconduct policy and programs have evolved since the 1940s.

Punctuated equilibrium and multiple streams theories were the guiding frameworks for this process analysis of the policies and programs implemented to address military sexual misconduct based on existing literature, news media and press.

Three punctuations are found in military sexual misconduct policy that demonstrate large-scale departures from the periods of equilibrium as the result of either a significant sexual misconduct allegation or new survey findings revealing sexual misconduct prevalence rates. In between these major-issue defining events, incremental policy change has occurred resulting in a period of stasis or return to the status quo requiring correction. Despite returns to stasis, each policy punctuation has built on the prior punctuation, generating new military directives, policies and programs.

Using the lenses of punctuated equilibrium and multiple stream theories, this paper shows how the processes of US military sexual misconduct policies and programs have evolved. The US military and militaries globally can utilize these policy frameworks to help predict future patterns of military sexual misconduct and improve responses to these problems.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the policy directives in Guyana as it relates to community-based tourism and to argue that the development of this niche can only be driven by clear policies which speak to community empowerment and institutional strengthening.

The paper is exploratory in nature and used document analysis as the primary means of data collection.

Community-based tourism presents an opportunity to advance the goals of government to include communities into the economic growth and development agenda. The vision for community-based tourism is community empowerment that develops the industry in line with the needs and aspirations of host communities. However, this cannot be fully realized without the supporting role of government via effective policy development and implementation.

It is anticipated that this research will serve as a valuable reference tool for researchers, policy makers and other relevant bodies with an interest in community-based tourism and the policy implications.

This paper intends to promote a re‐consideration of the most appropriate policy framework for implementing the European Union (EU) digital agenda.

The paper examines relevant EU documentation and the related research literature on EU telecommunications reform within a context of economic market theory and policy analysis models.

The liberalization principle driving EU telecommunications reform for the past quarter century has stalled, and may be reversed by the policy framework adopted for implementing the digital agenda. The public sector broadband funding model is likely to be wasteful and ineffective. Other options for implementation should be considered.

This paper examines current EU policy shaping the development of broadband networks and the evolution of the digital economy and information society. It highlights the progress and limitations of EU policy as it has evolved as a reference for implementation of current policy objectives. It will be of value to policy makers, industry analysts and players, as well as researchers in academia and other institutions.

The subject of this study is the availability of, and access to, information concerning individuals’ end‐of‐life health situations. The sensitive issues surrounding this subject are considered in detail, and the restraints, primarily legal, placed upon information availability highlighted. Questionnaires and interviews were used to determine public and professional awareness of, and attitudes towards, the issues and were compared with a similar, albeit larger, survey conducted by the Department of Health. Complementary to this fieldwork, a review of current and proposed clinical policies, guidelines and legislation and of media commentary was undertaken. The study revealed much public confusion and ignorance about how people can influence the medical treatment they receive when seriously or terminally ill. The study revealed an urgent need for Government initiatives to provide more information on patient rights in relation to consent forms and advance statements.

All countries use public procurement to some degree to further policy objectives such as sustainability, innovation, fighting fraud and corruption, value for taxpayers' money etc. Countries may learn from past successes and failures in other countries while implementing these policies: cross-country learning. In this exploratory study, we investigate cross-country learning across two frequently used policy areas: sustainability and innovation. A threefold methodology was used that consisted of (1) an extensive review of scientific literature complemented by (2) a thorough examination of policy documents and (3) interviews with leading public procurement experts from 10 countries including both developing and developed countries. The main findings indicate that there is no hard evidence for cross-country learning. Even if cross-country learning would exist, the lessons learned seem to remain largely implicit.

The integration of health or social services is an enduring challenge and especially so in relation to people experiencing “dual diagnosis”, the co‐occurrence of mental health and substance use problems. The emergence of the “dual diagnosis” concept has highlighted the tension between specialist treatment for single problems and complex, individualised care. The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolving nature of dual diagnosis initiatives in an Australian state during recent decades.

Interpretive, case study analysis of policy documents and key informant interviews (19) illuminates the experience of dual diagnosis initiatives.

In the case of Victoria, dual diagnosis responsiveness has evolved slowly over the last 20 years, delayed by the inherent difficulty of practice change, a weak perception of need, interprofessional tensions and shortcomings in data collection, coordination and resources. Key enablers have been champions and leaders in policy, management and clinical practice, directive government policy and targeted funding. Achieving a wrap‐around service system entails investment in interpersonal relationship‐building and stigma reduction, as well as technical or structural changes.

The paper presents a unique and independent view of a 20‐year period and indicates progress in attitudinal change that merits wider acknowledgement and application to other settings throughout health and social care.