Does Context Really Matter for Environmental Policy Implementation? A Systematic Comparison of Implementation Determinants

Abstract

Environmental policy addresses wicked problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution—issues marked by complexity, conflicting objectives, and stakeholder resistance. After often‐contested policy formulation, implementers face intense pressure to deliver results. While implementation research has identified many determinants of success and failure, little is known about their prevalence in environmental policy and whether the context of implementation shapes determinant frequencies. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review of 88 empirical studies on environmental policy implementation spanning a geographically diverse set of countries. We synthesize the results across studies, quantifying determinant frequencies both overall and for different contextual dimensions, including instrument type and target group. The most prevalent determinants were implementer resources, political salience, instrument coherence, and target group attitudes. While broad determinant categories varied little across contexts, several individual determinants differed substantially—especially between economic and regulative instruments. By combining a medium‐N overview with a context‐sensitive analysis, the study provides an important empirical base for contingency‐oriented theories of policy implementation and provides practitioners with clearer evidence for tailoring strategies to specific environmental policy settings.