Sea paradigm analysis
The SEA paradigm analysis is a metaphorical categorization of
countries based on their SEA implementation into ‘White or
Green Elephants’ or ‘White or Green Tigers’. ‘Elephants’ refer
to highly visible and structured policy instruments such as
legislation while ‘Tigers’ refer to latent non-structured policy
instruments such as public participation and stakeholder
engagement. ‘Green’ refers to effective policy instruments
while ‘White’ refers to ineffective policy instruments (Fig. 2).
Typically ‘White Elephants’ refers to something that is highly
visible but is functionally ineffective and becomes a burden to
sustain where ‘Green Elephants’ are the anti-thesis of ‘White
Elephants’. Similarly, ‘White Tigers’ are something that is
latent and looks potent but is inherently weak where ‘Green
Tigers’ are the anti-thesis of ‘White Tigers’.
‘White Elephants’ are countries that lack SEA legislation
and/or SEA application in policy planning. ‘White Elephants’
are also countries that have SEA legislation but are unable to
implement it due to ambitious and burdensome legislative
requirements and/or weak policy implementation as well as
countries that attempt to apply SEA practice without a
structured SEA legislative framework. Characteristics of
‘White Elephants’ are countries that have failed to implement
and enforce their mammoth legislative EPI initiatives or
attempt to implement SEA application through ad-hoc.