Flexible Incentives for the Adoption of Environmental Technologies in Agriculture


Book Description

Flexible Incentives for the Adoption of Environmental Technologies in Agriculture identifies and structures more flexible economic incentives for the achievement of environmental goals in agriculture. It provides a conceptual framework and presents case studies that analyze how flexible incentives can address environmental problems that are caused by agricultural production. The book brings together economists, agency personnel and political economists for the purpose of exploring how new cutting-edge economic tools could be developed and applied to environmental problems. The goal of the book is to complement and to expand the economic theory of environmental regulation and technology adoption with new research findings. The key theme of this book is the important role technology takes when addressing environmental problems. New technologies and technical development are broadly defined to include economic instruments, innovative ways to communicate environmental information, new economic institutions, and education. This book is designed for public and private policymakers, government analysts, teachers, researchers and students who specialize in the fields of natural resources, agricultural economics and environmental regulation. It provides a fresh perspective on what types of incentives may be used to lead us to the desired environmental outcomes and offers new ideas about the types of economic instruments that may achieve these outcomes.




The Economics of Agri-Environmental Policy, Volume II


Book Description

This two-volume set collects key essays examining economic theory, methods, and issues salient to agri-environmental policy in the US and in Europe, as well as in other countries. The topics under discussion are arranged thematically and include theoretical, numerical and empirical works; all are grounded in policy and economics. The introduction to these volumes reviews the evolution of agri-environmental policies, with an important focus on the history of US policy and European agri-environmental policy. A key feature within this is the importance of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US, particularly its move towards more 'market-based incentives' from the 1980s onwards. Within the European context, the effects of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) on agri-environmental programmes and schemes within the member states, are discussed. Significantly, the essays republished here have provided the knowledge base that has influenced further applied work, creating an influential impact on policy development.




Frontiers in Water Resource Economics


Book Description

Most of the books published previously in the field of water resource eco nomics focus on particular aspects of water economics such as institutions, pricing or water markets, but none of them have given particular attention to methodological questions. However, the applied methodology within economic research has made some remarkable advances over the last 10-20 years. Some of these advances are of particular interest to the field of water economics. Therefore, we think that a book that focusing on methodological advances within the field of water resource economics and showing how these advances can be applied in economic analysis of water issues makes a nice complement to the existing literature in this field. We identified five areas where we consider the methodological advances to be of particular importance: 1) asymmetric information and game theory, 2) un certainty, 3) space, 4) water quality and 5) production and technology adoption. The selected papers for the book fall entirely within these categories. The book ''Frontiers in Water Resource Economics" draws to a great extent on papers which were presented at the 7^^ Conference of the International Water and Re source Economics Consortium, June 3-5,2001 held in Girona, Catalonia, Spain, This conference was jointly organized with the 4^^ Conference of Environmen tal and Resource Economics by the Department of Economics, University of Girona.




Wspc Reference On Natural Resources And Environmental Policy In The Era Of Global Change, The (In 4 Volumes)


Book Description

The WSPC Reference on Natural Resources and Environmental Policy in the Era of Global Change provides a comprehensive and prominent reference of various highly authoritative volumes of long-term scientific value, for milestone concepts and theories. The books in the reference set are edited by leading experts in the fields of: Game Theory, International Relations and Global Politics, Computable General Equilibrium (CGE): Economy-Wide Modeling, and Experimental Economics. Each book in the reference set includes chapters that are laid out by recognized, broadly respected researchers, in fields associated with issues related to natural resources and environmental policy in the era of global change. The reference set focuses on the economic and strategic aspects of interactions among various parts of society, all dependent on the availability and utilization of limited natural resources and their impact on the environment. Policy implications are addressed, including current challenges and future perspectives.The combination of the four books provides a unique perspective on the issues that engage the public discourse of researchers and policy-makers at state, regional, and global levels. Each of the books in the reference set and all four books as a whole provide coverage of disciplines and angles through which the reader can obtain an understanding of the state-of-the-art of dealing with natural resources and environmental policy in the era of global change. The books in the reference set complement each other and provide a scientific understanding of our ability to address the issues covered.




Reality Check


Book Description

Since the early 1990s, voluntary programs have played an increasingly prominent role in environmental management in the U.S. and other industrialized countries. Programs have attempted to address problems ranging from climate change and energy efficiency, to more localized air and water pollution problems. But do they work? Despite a growing theoretical literature, there is limited empirical evidence on their success or the situations most conducive to the approaches. Even less is known about their cost-effectiveness. Getting credible answers is important. Research to date has been largely limited to individual programs. This innovative book seeks to clarify what is known by looking at a range of program types, including different approaches adopted in different nations. The focus is on assessing actual performance via seven case studies, including the U.S. Climate Wise program, the U.S. EPA's 33/50 program on toxic chemicals, the U.K. Climate Change Agreements, and the Keidanren Voluntary Action Plan in Japan. The central goals of Reality Check are understanding outcomes and, more specifically, the relationship between outcomes and design. By including in-depth analyses by experts from the U.S., Europe, and Japan, the book advances scholarship and provides practical information for the future design of voluntary programs to stakeholders and policymakers on all sides of the Atlantic and Pacific.







Ecosystem Services


Book Description

This book draws on a range of interdisciplinary perspectives to provide a framework for translating concepts into ecosystem-related decision making and practice.