Environment & Policy

While polluting industries in the U. S. continue to emit billions of pounds of toxic chemicals into the air, land and water every year, many economists and policy makers argue that environmental regulations stifle economic growth and reduce the standard of living for the American people.  This book takes a fresh look at this question through three case studies of highly regulated polluting industries in the Southern California region: metal finishing, wood furniture, and dry cleaning. The case studies are based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, including in-depth interviews with corporate managers and environmental regulators. The authors find that there is no universal pattern for predicting the effects of environmental regulations on industrial competitiveness, but that the outcomes depend on the structure of the industry being regulated, the design of the regulations, and the technologies that are available for compliance. The book is written in straight forward language that is accessible to the non-economist and will prove an essential resource for academics and students of all levels, and professionals and policy makers in the fields of environmental policy and regional economic development. 

This book provides an in-depth insight into the ecological perspective on a number of ongoing issues pertaining to security, the economy, the state, global environmental governance, development, and the environment. The chapters critically compare and analyze the role of global eco-politics in understanding and sorting out issues linked with climate change. Furthermore, it presents a contemporary and accessible description of why we need to embrace eco-politics in order to address the various ecological challenges that we face in the current changing climate scenario.