The authors examine the operation of the environmental protection system in Poland. Drawing upon the results of a mailed questionnaire survey of privatized manufacturing firms, they investigate the degree to which Poland has been successful in strengthening its environmental regulatory system. In general, the survey data reveal an operational system of environmental protection that is an amalgam of traditional command-and-control regulation and flexible enforcement that is well suited to the current political and economic conditions of Poland. Among the features of this regulatory system, which supports improved environmental performance for privatized firms, are a tough system of facility licensing, a flexible approach to compliance, good information availability at the local level, and broad agreement as to the legitimacy of environmental protection among firms in Poland. The authors stress the importance of matching regulatory strategy to societal context.
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