Environmental Law & Governance

The Environmental Law & Governance Division tackles legal and social-scientific issues that are fundamental to sustainable environmental policy. The researchers provide consultancy and conduct research projects for governmental and private contractors on European, national and municipal levels. They provide expert reports and opinions on legal issues, conduct governance analyses, draft instrument and legislative proposals, evaluate policies and make strategy suggestions.

Our consultancy and research focus on transdisciplinary issues of environmental policy, socio-ecological change, sustainable economic activity and international, European and national environmental law. In the context of sustainable economic activity, the division tackles questions of corporate social responsibility (CSR), consumption, procurement and management of natural resources. In the area of environmental law, our activities include traditional fields such as immission control, waste and water law as well as newer aspects of energy and climate change legislation. In addition, the researchers have many years of experience in handling participation issues, procedural and information law as well as technical issues of immission control, waste management and environmental impact assessments.

Our research activities draw on the division’s legal and socio-scientific expertise as well as its knowledge of other disciplines. Various qualitative and quantitative methods – e.g. document analysis, expert interviews, case studies, content and discourse analysis, surveys and statistical evaluations – are used.

The researchers are regularly involved in consultation processes and chair workshops, conferences and political debates.

Oeko-Institut’s Environmental Law & Governance Division is co-publisher of the elni-Review, a bi-annual English-language journal on environmental law.