Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource ManagementAs Thomas Sterner points out, the economic 'toolkit' for dealing with environmental problems has become formidable. It includes taxes, charges, permits, deposit-refund systems, labeling, and other information disclosure mechanisms. Though not all these devices are widely used, empirical application has started within some sectors, and we are beginning to see the first systematic efforts at an advanced policy design that takes due account of market-based incentives. Sterner's book encourages more widespread and careful use of economic policy instruments. Intended primarily for application in developing and transitional countries, the book compares the accumulated experiences of the use of economic policy instruments in the U.S. and Europe, as well as in select rich and poor countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Ambitious in scope, the book discusses the design of instruments that can be employed in a wide range of contexts, including transportation, industrial pollution, water pricing, waste, fisheries, forests, and agriculture. Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management is deeply rooted in economics but also informed by perspectives drawn from political, legal, ecological, and psychological research. Sterner notes that, in addition to meeting requirements for efficiency, the selection and design of policy instruments must satisfy criteria involving equity and political acceptability. He is careful to distinguish between the well-designed plans of policymakers and the resulting behavior of society. A copublication of Resources for the Future, the World Bank, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). |
Contents
Overview of the Book | 6 |
Institutional and Policy Failure | 13 |
Classical Causes of Environmental Degradation | 15 |
Copyright | |
76 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management Thomas Sterner Limited preview - 2003 |
Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management Thomas Sterner No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
abatement costs agricultural allocation areas benefits carbon carbon tax cars catalytic converters Chapter charge chemicals companies complex consumers consumption cost of abatement depends deposit-refund developing countries distribution ecological economic ecosystem effects efficiency emissions energy environment environmental damage environmental protection agency environmental tax example externalities factors fees firms fisheries fishermen fishing forest fuel taxes funds gasoline global harvest hazardous important incentives income increase individual industry information asymmetries investments issues Kyoto Protocol land lead liability marginal cost market-based instruments mechanism ment monitoring moral hazard natural resources OECD optimal output permits Pigovian tax policy instruments policymaking political pollution problems production property rights reduce refunded regulation risk road pricing scarcity rent schemes sector standards subsidies sulfur Sweden target tariffs taxation tion tradable trading transportation typically U.S. EPA United vehicles waste World Bank