Table 4 Important settings for environmental health and other impact assessments within the context public policy-making

Impacts

• Which impacts are addressed in assessment?

• Which impacts are the most significant?

• Which impacts are the most relevant for decision-making?

Environment, health, cost, equity

Causes

• Which causes of impacts are recognised in assessment?

• Which causes of impacts are the most significant?

• Which causes of impacts are the most relevant for decision-making?

Production, consumption, transport, heating, power production, everyday life

Problem owner

• Who has the interest, responsibility and/or means to assess the issue?

• Who actually conducts the assessment?

• Who has the interest, responsibility and/or power to make decisions and take actions upon the issue?

• Who is affected by the impacts?

Policy-maker, industry, business, expert, consumer, public

Target users

• Who is the intended users of assessment results?

• Who needs the assessment results?

• Who can make use of the assessment results?

Policy-maker, industry, business, expert, consumer, public

Interaction

• What is the degree of openness in assessment (and management)? (see Table 5)

• How does assessment interact with the intended use of its results? (see Table 6)

• How does assessment interact with other actors in its context?

Isolated, informing, participatory, joint, shared