Institutional impact of alternative coastal zone management systems

The goal of this project, started in June 1972, was to develop a methodology for evaluation of the economic and environmental impacts of alternative coastal zone management policies. Early in the project, however, it became apparent that institutional impacts and/or constraints were significantly intertwined with considerations of any proposed policy. In response to requests by various state, regional, and local Texas agencies, the renewal proposal to NSF-RANN and to the Office of the Governor in June 1974 included the initiation of research on the relevant institutional structure within which a Texas coastal zone management program would be expected to operate. This report provides an information base and a conceptual framework for analysis of the institutional impact of alternative coastal zone management schemes. The data presented reveal present and potential problems concerning coastal resource users such as industry and developers as well as agencies and other organizations operating in or having an impact on the coast. Alternative coastal zone management schemes are evaluated using criteria based on both federal guidelines and the state institutional environment. The mechanism for the study was a policy research project conducted by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, during the academic year 1974-75.