Political Economy and Instruments of Environmental Politics
Friedrich Schneider, Andrea Kollmann, and Johanne Reichl
Abstract
Economists have long argued that market-based instruments such as, environmental taxes, and emission trading systems, are the superior way to offset the negative externalities of any kind of economic activities. Yet, whether the effects of using these instruments are sufficient, whether they are actually used efficiently, and especially which factors influence their effectiveness is subject to a lively debate. It is the ultimate task of research to identify existing barriers among economic agents so as to gain valuable insight into how to overcome them. There still is much work to be done when ... More
Economists have long argued that market-based instruments such as, environmental taxes, and emission trading systems, are the superior way to offset the negative externalities of any kind of economic activities. Yet, whether the effects of using these instruments are sufficient, whether they are actually used efficiently, and especially which factors influence their effectiveness is subject to a lively debate. It is the ultimate task of research to identify existing barriers among economic agents so as to gain valuable insight into how to overcome them. There still is much work to be done when it comes to evaluating the effectiveness of policy instruments with regard to the achievement of environmental targets. Assessments of environmental policies and their effects on economic welfare indicators are necessary, as are further analyses of institutional and political attitudes towards existing and future environmental policy. This book makes a valuable contribution by assembling papers and opinions which all target the questions raised above about how environmental politics can be further enhanced. They analyse and discuss possible improvements to its design to further increase its efficiency and therefore make a valuable contribution to one of the most pressing global issues of our time.
Keywords:
Political economy,
instrument choice,
policy design,
empirical analysis,
theory,
games,
taxes,
emission trading
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2015 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780262029247 |
| Published to MIT Press Scholarship Online: January 2016 |
DOI:10.7551/mitpress/9780262029247.001.0001 |
