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In recent years, voluntary approaches to emission reductions have increasingly been adopted by major companies all over the world and have increasingly been supported by regulatory bodies and public administrations. Despite this world-wide effort to achieve a better environmental performance through voluntary approaches, economic analysis has somehow neglected the importance of voluntary approaches as an environmental policy instrument. This book is a first attempt to fill this gap by gathering together all major experts in the fields and by providing a detailed analysis of all main aspects characterising the design and implementation of voluntary approaches in environmental policy. The book, which is the outcome of cooperation between the École des Mines of Paris and the Fondazione ENI E. Mattei, within the EU Concerted Action on Market Based Policy Instruments for Environmental Protection, contains both theoretical analyses and case studies. The chapters of this book therefore provide a useful assessment of the main features and of the potential implementation problems of a new, important and promising environmental policy instrument

This dissertation deals with two different aspects of environmental policies in a globalized world. First, the impact of exogenous environmental regulations on a domestic polluting sector's international competitiveness is investigated. The applied model framework considers the government's re-election incentives and the interrelation between environmental- and industrial policies. Second, the impact of strategic competition for internationally mobile capital on the level of environmental policies in the competing countries is examined. Also here, a second policy instrument, a corporate-profit tax, is available. Furthermore, the adverse welfare effects of a non-cooperative policy choice and different approaches of international cooperation to overcome such suboptimal policy outcome are discussed. The results of both parts of the analysis suggest that frequently expressed public concerns as well as the predictions of many economic analyses may be too pessimistic. In particular, neither does the imposition of stricter environmental regulations necessarily weaken the international competitiveness of a domestic polluting sector, nor does competition for foreign investments necessarily lead to an erosion of environmental-policy levels. Finally, even if countries do not achieve agreement on completely cooperative policy-making, partial cooperation in one instrument may serve as a politically feasible means to help them approach the socially optimal welfare level.

"For over twenty years, Environmental Policy and Politics has kept instructors and students abreast of the challenges presented by contemporary environmental, energy, and natural resource problems in the United States. Now in its eighth edition, Michael E. Kraft has updated his definitive text to capture the changing nature of environmental problems as well as policy proposals made through 2020. Drawing from work within environmental science, policy analysis, and political science, this text continues to help readers think critically about how best to address problems through a variety of public policy tools and strategies at all levels of government. Important updates to this new edition include: The latest information about environmental challenges and governmental responses to them, with extensive citation of key sources and websites. Key political and policy decisions through late 2020, including presidential appointments, budgetary decisions, major legislative initiatives, and congressional actions. New learning objectives to facilitate student understanding of key concepts and their applications, arguments advanced over environmental challenges and policies, and the goals and methods of environmental policy analysis. Covers new topics that have emerged during the Trump presidency, including the Clean Power Plan repeal and reduction of environmental regulation, climate change, land conservation, changes in natural resources policies, and a comparison of the Republican and Democratic positions on climate change in 2020. Updated summaries of scientific studies, government reports, and policy analyses. Revised discussion questions and new suggested readings. Environmental Policy and Politics is an essential resource for upper level undergraduate and graduate students in political science and environmental studies looking for an accessible, well-researched and up-to-date text, written with style and flair"--

This title was first published in 2001. This wide-ranging and comprehensive collection investigates the background to environmental economic development over the last thirty years, and the political implications of new directions resulting from technological and cultural changes in environmental issues. It examines the application of economic analysis to environmental problems in the past and solutions to the current issues of water, soil, air, energy, waste and urban ecology, discussing the implications of political decisions, cultural changes and technological constraints. It will prove a stimulating resource for students, academics, researchers and policy-makers alike.

An introduction to the current landscape : environmental policy and the economy / Tyler Schwartz and Sherif Goubran -- Responses to climate change worldwide : individual preferences and policy actions around the world / Andrew Brennan, Astghik Mavisakalyan, and Yashar Taverdi -- Legislation or economic instruments for a successful environmental policy? : reflections after "Dieselgate" / Theodoros Zachariadis -- Environmental legislation and small-and-medium-sSized enterprises (SMEs) : a literature review / Eleni Sfakianaki -- Bulk water pricing policies and strategies for sustainable water management : the case of Ontario, Canada / Micheal Wood, Horatiu Rus, Olaf Weber, and Guneet Sandhu -- The role of water pricing policies in steering urban development : the case of the Bogota region / Camilo RomeroChapter -- Effective environmental protection and regulatory quality: a national case study of China / Sharanya Basu Roy -- The EU legal and regulatory framework for measuring damage risks to the biodiversity of the marine environment / Ivelin Zvezdov -- Redefining nature and wilderness through private wildlife ranching : an economic perspective of environmental policy in South(ern) Africa / Tariro Kamuti -- Climate change regulations and accounting practices : optimization for emission-intensive publicly traded firms / David Lont and Carol Pompare -- The economic aspects of the adoption of renewable energy policies in developing countries : an overview of the Brazilian wind power sector / Elia Alves and Andrea Steiner -- Ontario's energy transition : a successful case of a green jobs strategy? / Bruno Arcand -- Ethical and sustainable investing and the need for carbon-neutrality / Quintin Rayer -- Building sustainable communities through market based instruments / Ying Zhou, Amelia Clarke, and Stephanie Cairns -- Climate justice in food security : experience from climate finance in Bangladesh / Muhammad Abdur Rahaman and Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman -- A survey of UK-based ethical and sustainable fund managers' investment processes addressing plastics in the environment / Quintin Rayer.