Evidence and Analysis Series
Defra places research and analysis at the heart of policy-making.
Defra’s economists, statisticians and social and operational researchers work as an integral part of the policy process to answer some of the key questions facing our society: How should we prepare for climate change? How can we safeguard environmental resources for future generations whilst still meeting the needs of today? How can we adequately value the goods and services provided by the natural environment in decision making?
The Defra Evidence and Analysis Series, launched in 2010, brings the department’s research and evidence base to a wider audience, creating the basis for discussion with the academic, business and policy-making community.
Papers
Paper 1: Adapting to Climate Change: Analysing the Role of Government
This paper sets out how a number of barriers to adaptation (market failures, behavioural barriers, adaptive capacity, natural capacity) may affect adaptation decisions, and provides a framework for considering the Government’s role and identifies implications for policy design. It also identifies the priority areas for future research on the economics of adaptation.
Paper 2: Economic Growth and the Environment
This paper explores the complex relationship between the natural environment and economic growth, including the importance of the environment in supporting and enabling economic activity and the different drivers that affect environmental quality as the economy grows. It makes the case for sustainable economic growth, managing the use and provision of natural assets in a way that ensures their availability for future generations. Finally, it identifies the range of policy responses the government can use to enable this shift to a sustainable economy, and the potential opportunities and economic impacts in the near- and long-term.
Paper 3: A framework for understanding the social impacts of policy and their effects on wellbeing
The UK’s Social Impacts Taskforce has developed a conceptual framework to guide our work on understanding the relationships between the social impacts of policies, their effects on the UK’s underlying produced, human, social and natural capital, and implications for wellbeing.
- A framework for understanding the social impacts of policy and their effects on wellbeing
- Social Impact Framework – Two-page summary (PDF 200 KB)
Paper 4: Payments for ecosystem services
This paper sets out the economic framework and key design principles for payments for ecosystem services. Approaches such as payments for ecosystem services offer the potential for improving environmental performance while also providing benefits for business and stimulating the development of creative solutions, so minimising any unnecessary burdens on the wider economy.
This is part of a wider programme of work within Defra looking at available policy levers and the mix of instruments to deliver environmental outcomes more cost effectively. The overall aim of this paper is to explore in more depth how PES can be used to achieve environmental objectives by reviewing existing theory and analysis in this area and considering its application to the domestic context in England. This will help develop our thinking, identify key opportunities and challenges, and consider the role of government and other key stakeholders.
Paper 5: Social Impacts and Wellbeing: multi-criteria analysis techniques for integrating non-monetary evidence in valuation and appraisal
Building on the work of the UK’s Social Impacts Taskforce, and publication by Defra of A Framework for Understanding the Social Impacts of Policy and their Effects on Wellbeing, this paper addresses how to assess and integrate evidence of social impacts and wellbeing into valuation and appraisal using multi-criteria analysis. The paper intends to help integrate a greater range of quantitative and qualitative non-monetary evidence with monetised values to develop our understanding of social impacts and wellbeing, and enhance our ability to take them into account more fully in the design and evaluation of government policy.
Speeches
As part of its work for the G20 on Green Growth, the OECD held a workshop to discuss its Green Growth Strategy in February 2011, involving all OECD member states and a number of NGOs. The Strategy seeks to provide tools for a shift towards a more sustainable development path, while identifying economic opportunities and benefits of going in that direction. Defra’s Chief Economist, Richard Price, was invited to lead the workshop session on policy instruments for green growth. To set the context he made these introductory remarks on instrument selection.
- Green Growth: Selecting Policy Instruments (PDF 800 KB) 8 February 2011
Defra’s Chief Economist, Richard Price, explains in a speech at the Prime Minister’s conference how environmental assets underpin both economic growth and broader wellbeing. As policy and development decisions across government have an impact on the condition of complex environmental assets, all departments assess the environmental effects of their policy choices. Our approach to policy design reflects how people value the environment and the services it provides – including recreation, health, relaxation, biodiversity and innovation; as well as clean air and water, flood alleviation and climate regulation. Each of these contributes to wellbeing. The UK’s path-breaking National Ecosystems Assessment helps develop a more robust approach to understanding the condition and impacts of the UK’s environmental asset base, and its relationship with wellbeing.
- The environment, wellbeing and policy in the UK: Speech at the Prime Minister’s Wellbeing Conference, HM Treasury (PDF 220 KB)
25 November 2010
Evidence and Analysis Back Series
The Evidence and Analysis Back Series brings together some of the most important research and evidence from Defra social science that pre-dates the launch of the Evidence and Analysis Series.
2009
- Making The Right Choices For Our Future – An Economic Framework For Designing Policies To Reduce Carbon Emissions (PDF 1.6 MB)
March 2009, Defra and DECC
2008
- A framework For Pro-Environmental Behaviours
January 2008, Andrea Collier, Kirsten Reeves, Philip Stamp, Rachel Muckle, Defra - The Impact of Biofuels on Commodity Prices
April 2008, Simone Pfuderer, Maria del Castillo, Economics Group, Defra - Understanding Behaviours In A Farming Context (PDF 1.3 MB)
November 2008, Tony Pike, Defra
2007
- An Introductory Guide To Valuing Ecosystem Services (PDF435 KB)
December 2007, Helen Dunn, Defra - Change In The Area And Distribution Of Set-Aside In England And Its Environmental Impact (PDF 900 KB)
June 2007, Defra Agricultural Change and Environment, Observatory Research - Climate Change Instruments: Areas Of Overlap And Options For Simplification (PDF500 KB) (Consultation; National Archives website)
December 2007, Mallika Ishwaran, Federica Cimato, Defra - The Social Cost Of Carbon And The Shadow Price Of Carbon: What They Are, And How To Use Them In Economic Appraisal In The UK (750 KB)
December 2007, Richard Price, Simeon Thornton and Stephen Nelson, Economics Group, Defra
2006
- Cumulative Impact Of Forthcoming Regulatory Proposals On The Economics Of Farming (PDF 203 KB)
December 2006, Mary Holland, Defra - Food Security and the UK: An Evidence and Analysis Paper (PDF 410 KB)
December 2006, Colin Smith, Philip Earl, Food Chain Analysis Group, Defra - Quantifying And Valuing Ecosystem Services (PDF 630 KB)
September 2006, Prashant Vaze, Helen Dunn, Richard Price, Defra
Discussion Papers
Defra has a number of pieces of research under development and, on occasion, will place earlier drafts here as Discussion Papers. This will allow fellow analysts and policymakers, as well as those in the academic and business communities, to provide views on emerging research.
- Understanding and Influencing Behaviours: a review of social research, economics and policy making in Defra (PDF 2 MB)
February 2010, Andrea Collier, Andrew Cotterill, Tim Everett, Rachel Muckle, Tony Pike and Amy Vanstone, Defra