Regulation, Knowledge Transfer, and Forestry Policy Implementation: Different Strokes for Different Folks?

Abstract

Knowledge transfers from the public to the private sector about the substance and necessity of regulatory rules are critical for effective regulatory compliance. With groups of professionals that share specialized training the overall problems are minimized. Yet what happens when regulators contend with non-professionals? Using a case of forestry policy in Washington State we find that professional-to-professional exchanges are relatively effective, but that non-professional forest owners were less responsive, which reduced the effectiveness of the knowledge transfer and program compliance. We also find that one way to overcome this implementation barrier is to have regulators use an adult-based learning method.