An analysis of the economic theory of environmental policy and the factors influencing the quality of life. Recent research in environmental economics is incorporated as well as economic incentives for pollution control.

This title was first published in 2003. Economists have had increasing success in arguing the merits of market-based approaches to environmental problems. By making polluting expensive, market-based approaches provide polluters with incentives to clean up, rather than mandates to stop polluting. These approaches include pollution taxes, transferable emissions permits and subsidies for pollution abatement. The purpose of this volume is to explore the situations where Command and Control (CAC) may not be all bad, and in fact might even have some advantages over market-based instruments (MBI).

'Environmental Policy' clearly explains how the social sciences relate to environmental policy-making and how they can be used to achieve policies for a sustainable future.

How can we design environmental policy that achieves ambitious ecological goals without burdening society with excessive costs? How can effective international agreements, for example, on global warming, be designed? This textbook discusses issues such as these in an intelligible manner for students. The book uses little mathematical analysis, relying on verbal and graphical analysis.

Environmental policy is often practiced reactively with each crisis addressed as an isolated event. Focusing on development of proactive policies, Global Environment Policy: Concepts, Principles, and Practice provides the essential scientific and socioeconomic framework for formulating pragmatic and comprehensive environmental policies. It discusses topics of interest to American and international audiences. Beginning with basic concepts, the book proceeds successively on to more advanced principles, theories, and practices for developing and implementing comprehensive environmental policy solutions. Topics are introduced in a logical, yet connected, user-friendly manner. Using practical case studies and examples, the book illustrates both the power and limitations of theoretical approaches. It defines the scope and nature of the environmental policy problem, outlining its origins and evolution, and introduces the policy frameworks of the United Nations, European Union, and the United States. Each chapter begins with a case study and ends with a problem set; the questions are designed to elicit practical and critical thinking. The book ends with two capstone problems that exemplify nearly every major topic and aspect presented in this book. Upon completion, students should possess the competency required to examine a real world problem, evaluate it in terms of the concepts, principles, and tools described throughout the book, and develop a practical policy solution for resolving that problem.

The relationship between economic growth and the environment is at the forefront of public attention and poses serious challenges for policymakers around the world. Economic Analysis of Environmental Policy, a textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses, provides a rigorous and thorough explanation of modern environmental economics, applying this exposition to contemporary issues and policy analysis. Opening with a discussion of contemporary pollution problems, institutional players and the main policy instruments at our disposal, Ross McKitrick develops core theories of environmental valuation and optimal control of pollution. Chapters that follow cover issues like tradable permits, regulatory standards, emission taxes, and polluter liability as well as advanced topics like trade and the environment, sustainability, risk, inequality, and self-monitoring. Throughout, McKitrick uses clear, intuitive, and coherent analytical tools, so that students, academics, and practitioners can develop their policy analysis skills while comprehending the debates and challenges at the frontier of this exciting and rapidly-developing field.

Advanced Principles in Environmental Policy clearly and systematically presents current developments in the economic theory of environmental policy. A key feature is the systematic exposition of the use of mathematical tools in environmental economics. Professor Xepapadeas builds on and extends the basic theoretical framework of environmental policy and pays special attention to the inter-relationships between environmental economics and other branches of economics. He considers dynamic investment theory, industrial organization, international economics and relaxes standard assumptions underlying his basic model. A key feature of this book is a systematic exposition of the use of mathematical tools in environmental economics. Important practical research topics in the theory of environmental policy are presented, including: emission taxes nonpoint source pollution transboundary pollution the link between international trade and environmental policy international environmental cooperation. Advanced Principles in Environmental Policy will provide stimulus for further research in the theory of environmental policy. It will prove essential reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in environmental economics as well as for professionals, researchers and policymakers seeking to understand the fundamentals of environmental policy.

Environmental Economics: Theory, Application, andPolicy's strong policy-oriented approach to environmental economics draws in current research and case studies to illustrate topics on the cutting edge of worldwide policy debates. The author introduces students to subjects such as biodiversity, climate change, air pollution, and forestry by presenting the actual data and methods used by experts in these fields. In addition, considerable material on emerging areas such as macroeconomics and trade, agriculture, ecological economics, and sustainability gives students a full understanding of the environmental economics field. The book's focus on basic economic concepts in the introductory chapters prepares students to understand these issues. Chapman does not discuss economics in the abstract: examples, historical contexts, and case studies are used to illustrate key points. And throughout the book, there is a heavy emphasis on social issues and ethics. *Strong policy approach - seen in its integration of practical examples and issues that are both domestic and international in nature - combines scientific and economic interpretations of environmental problems *Focus on core economic th

Although many environmental policy issues remain deadlocked for decades with little movement, sometimes breakthroughs occur abruptly. Why do deadlocks persist? Why do major policy shifts occur infrequently? Is it possible to judge when policies are ripe for change?This book presents new empirical evidence that the punctuated equilibrium theory of policy dynamics fits the facts of environmental policy change and can explain how stable policies can suddenly unravel in discontinuous change. The distinguished contributors to the volume apply the theory to a wide range of important environmental and resource issues and assess case histories in water, forestry, fisheries, public lands, energy and climate some of which resulted in breakthroughs, others in stalemate. They offer insights into the political conditions and tactics that are likely to produce these disparate outcomes. Every professional, activist, and student concerned with promoting (or resisting) change in environmental and natural resources policies will find this up-to-date book an invaluable guide.

Prior to the Nixon administration, environmental policy in the United States was rudimentary at best. Since then, it has evolved into one of the primary concerns of governmental policy from the federal to the local level. As scientific expertise on the environment rapidly developed, Americans became more aware of the growing environmental crisis that surrounded them. Practical solutions for mitigating various aspects of the crisis - air pollution, water pollution, chemical waste dumping, strip mining, and later global warming - became politically popular, and the government responded by gradually erecting a vast regulatory apparatus to address the issue. Today, politicians regard environmental policy as one of the most pressing issues they face. The Obama administration has identified the renewable energy sector as a key driver of economic growth, and Congress is in the process of passing a bill to reduce global warming that will be one of the most important environmental policy acts in decades. The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Environmental Policy will be a state-of-the-art work on all aspects of environmental policy in America. Over the past half century, America has been the world's leading emitter of global warming gases. However, environmental policy is not simply a national issue. It is a global issue, and the explosive growth of Asian countries like China and India mean that policy will have to be coordinated at the international level. The book will therefore focus not only on the U.S., but on the increasing importance of global policies and issues on American regulatory efforts. This is a topic that will only grow in importance in the coming years, and this will serve as an authoritative guide to any scholar interested in the issue.