Abstract

The introduction of a regulatory policy such as Environmental Financial Assurance (EFA)  requires a change in other fronts including enforcement philosophies, modes of organization and an increase in financial support for the regulatory system. Regulation is an essential developmental policy toolkit that favours poorer countries in the developing world. This research aims at contributing to the field of environmental public policy, and assists policy makers and observers to understand what EFA policy is and what is transferable in the context of a developing world. This links it to the field of policy transfer and in addition delivers a tangible result in terms of a positivistic case study that tests the transferability of a New Public Management (NPM) policy across substantial international and cultural boundaries. It allows us to ask to what extent imitative isomorphism exists in this context.

Key words: Ghana, Environmental Financial Assurance, Regulation, Policy transfer, New Public Management