Description
Taylor & Francis Ltd Policy Instruments For Environmental And Natural Resource Management 2002 Edition by Thomas Professor Sterner
As 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). PrefaceAcknowledgementsList of Abbreviations1. Overview of the BookPart 1: The Need for Environmental and Natural Resources Policy2. Classical Causes of Environmental Degradation3. Public Economics and Information4. Adapting models to Ecosystems: Ecology, Time and Space5. The Evolution of RightsPart 2: Instruments of Environmental Policy6. Direct regulation of the enviroment7. Tradable Permits 8. Taxes9. Subsidies, Deposit Refund, and Refunded Emission Payments10. Property rights, legal instruments and informational policiesPart 3: Selection of Policy Instruments11. National Environmental Policy and Planning 12. Efficiency of Policy Instruments 13. Role of Uncertainty and Information Symmetry14. Equilibrium and market conditions15. Distribution of Costs16. Politics and Psychology of Policy Instruments17. International Aspects18. Design of Policy InstrumentsPart 4: Policy Instruments for (Road) Transports19. Environmnental road pricing20. Taxation or regulation for fuel efficiency21. Fuel Quality, Vehicle Standards, and Urban Planning22. Lessons Learned: TransportationPart 5: Policy Instruments for Industrial Pollution23. Experience in Developed Countries24. Experience in Developing Countries Part 6: Policy Instruments for Management of Natural Resources and Ecosystems25. Water26. Waste27. Fisheries28. Agriculture29. Forestry30. Ecosystem Services31. Looking Ahead: Policy Issues and Potential SolutionsReferences