Governance by Evaluation? The Use of Strategic Environmental Assessments in the Development of Policies & Plans in the Region of Southern Denmark

1 January 2007 the Danish structural reform took effect. 13 counties and 273 municipalities were replaced by 5 new regions, 98 larger municipalities and 7 new state centres.
The regional challenges are vast. While the regions’ main task is to provide healthcare, regional development is also a responsibility. This manifests itself through the development of plans, strategies, initiatives and programmes that other regional actors may then turn into concrete activities, funded in part by the regions’ development funds.
This paper focuses on the use of strategic environmental assessments in the development and drawing up of the various plans and strategies and how a collaborative and iterative approach may be able to contribute directly and pro-actively to strategies and plans rather than merely evaluate possible positive and negative impacts of these. The outcome is that any impacts are clearly identified in the development phase and thus before the plan or strategy is ratified and put into effect. Opportunities to lessen negative impacts and/or enlarge positive ones thus exist, and decisions to do either more or nothing therefore rests on a solid and clearly identified base of knowledge.