American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
What Do Emissions Markets Deliver and to Whom? Evidence from Southern California's NOx Trading Program
American Economic Review
vol. 102,
no. 2, April 2012
(pp. 965–93)
Abstract
An advantage of cap-and-trade programs over more prescriptive environmental regulation is that compliance flexibility and cost effectiveness can make more stringent emissions reductions politically feasible. However, when markets (versus regulators) determine where emissions occur, it becomes more difficult to assure that mandated emissions reductions are equitably achieved. We investigate these issues in the context of Southern California's RECLAIM program by matching facilities in RECLAIM with similar California facilities also in nonattainment areas. Our results indicate that average emissions fell 20 percent at RECLAIM facilities relative to our counterfactual. Furthermore, observed changes in emissions do not vary significantly with neighborhood demographic characteristics. (JEL H23, L51, Q53, Q58)Citation
Fowlie, Meredith, Stephen P. Holland, and Erin T. Mansur. 2012. "What Do Emissions Markets Deliver and to Whom? Evidence from Southern California's NOx Trading Program." American Economic Review, 102 (2): 965–93. DOI: 10.1257/aer.102.2.965Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H23 Taxation and Subsidies: Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
- L51 Economics of Regulation
- Q53 Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
- Q58 Environmental Economics: Government Policy