Since I last updated, I have been busy looking at the partnership between the public sector and private consulting services. Just like private industry, the government relies on consultants to perform services that are not available in-house. I found that consultants are primarily hired to perform environmental assessments for public projects but are also contracted to provide policy recommendations. I found this incredibly interesting because it reinforces this idea that I have been looking at where industry, consultants, and government work together to create effective policies that are cost effective and lead to tangible pollution reduction. During this part of my research, I have become more interested in looking at policy development from the regulatory side as opposed to primarily looking at how businesses and consultants work together to interpret and enact solutions to come into regulatory code. I believe that looking at both of these elements is incredibly important to have the full picture because if there is a disconnect between the governing policy and the reality of compliance, then there leads to more potential for stakeholder neglect and ineffective application.
Working towards the future I am excited to learn more about local and federal initiatives that have used specific environmental consulting firms. This will allow me to explore real world examples of consultants impacting policy development and enforcement. In addition I want to expand the idea of what an environmental consultant or analyst is. Specifically observing how their role can exist outside of a private firm, working directly for a business or agency.
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