ABSTRACT

Thomas Sterner's book is an attempt to encourage more widespread and careful use of economic policy instruments. The book compares the accumulated experiences of the use of economic policy instruments in the U.S. and Europe, as well as in rich and poor countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Ambitious in scope, it discusses the design of instruments that can be employed in any country in a wide range of contexts, including transportation, industrial pollution, water pricing, waste, fisheries, forests, and agriculture.

While deeply rooted in economics, Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management is informed by political, legal, ecological, and psychological research. The new edition enhances what has already been widely hailed as a highly innovative work. The book includes greatly expanded coverage of climate change, covering aspects related to policy design, international equity and discounting, voluntary carbon markets, permit trading in United States, and the Clean Development Mechanism. Focusing ever more on leading ideas in both theory and policy, the new edition brings experimental economics into the main of its discussions. It features expanded coverage of the monitoring and enforcement of environmental policy, technological change, the choice of policy instruments under imperfect competition, and subjects such as corporate social responsibility, bio-fuels, payments for ecosystem services, and REDD.

chapter 1|10 pages

Background and Overview

part I|46 pages

The Need for Environmental and Natural Resource Policy

chapter 2|27 pages

Causes of Environmental Degradation

chapter 3|15 pages

The Evolution of Rights

part II|82 pages

Review of Policy Instruments

chapter 4|12 pages

Direct Regulation of the Environment

chapter 5|9 pages

Taxes

chapter 6|26 pages

Tradable Permits

part III|124 pages

Selection of Policy Instruments

chapter 9|20 pages

Efficiency of Policy Instruments

chapter 11|17 pages

Equilibrium Effects and Market Conditions

chapter 12|16 pages

Distribution of Costs

chapter 14|23 pages

International Aspects and Climate Change

chapter 15|9 pages

Design of Policy Instruments

part IV|70 pages

Policy Instruments for Road Transportation

part V|66 pages

Policy Instruments for Industrial Pollution

chapter 20|34 pages

Experience in Developed Countries

chapter 21|30 pages

Experience in Developing Countries

part VI|131 pages

Policy Instruments for the Management of Natural Resources and Ecosystems

chapter 23|20 pages

Water

chapter 24|15 pages

Waste

chapter 25|17 pages

Fisheries

chapter 26|21 pages

Agriculture

chapter 27|14 pages

Forestry

chapter 28|18 pages

Ecosystems

part VII|20 pages

Conclusion

chapter 29|18 pages

Policy Issues and Potential Solutions