Barriers to environmental policy implementation: stakeholder perceptions in the context of Ireland

Environmental policies are embedded in political institutions worldwide, yet degradation persists, with failure to implement existing policies considered a significant contributing factor. Few studies examine barriers to environmental policy implementation across the full landscape of challenges, particularly in multi-level governance EU Member States, which have developed extensive environmental policy in recent years, but where barriers to policy implementation are under-examined. We analysed interviews with 34 stakeholders in Ireland as a ‘high-commitment, high-challenge’ case. Five cross-cutting barriers to environmental policy implementation emerged: capacity constraints, policy incoherence, financial limitations, competing political priorities and planning delays, each with interlinked effects across policy design and delivery. We propose whole-of-government strategies to resolve multiple barriers simultaneously. Findings offer actionable lessons for Ireland, and other countries under multi-level governance, seeking to strengthen environmental policy delivery.