Coastal vegetation communities are important for primary production, biodiversity, coastal protection, carbon and nutrient cycling which, in combination with their sensitivity to eutrophication, render them potential indicators of environmental status for environmental policies like the EU Water and Marine Strategy Framework Directives. We evaluated one potential indicator for coastal vegetatio...

Harmonization of the instruments used in environmental policy has been considered necessary to guarantee fair competition in international markets. We investigate alternative policy measures for promoting paper recycling in seven European countries and present a theoretical framework for analyzing policy requirements for the minimum amount of recycled material to be used in production. We estim...

While prior literature has identified various effects of environmental policy, this note uses the example of a proposed carbon permit system to illustrate and discuss six different types of distributional effects: (1) higher prices of carbon-intensive products, (2) changes in relative returns to factors like labor, capital, and resources, (3) allocation of scarcity rents from a restricted numbe...

In spite of the increasing concern on the role of technological change and innovation as a key factor of sustainability, environmental economics has paid little attention to the understanding of environmental innovation. Until recently, scholars working in environmental economics consider environmental innovation as induced by regulation. Within this perspective, one of the main research questi...

Choice makes North Americans feel more in control, free, and independent, and thus has many positive consequences for individuals' motivation and well-being. We report five studies that uncovered novel consequences of choice for public policy and interpersonal judgments. Studies 1 through 3 found that activating the concept of choice decreases support for policies promoting intergroup equality ...

Local news media help shape the agendas from which new policies emerge. Furthermore, local media help determine public understanding of complex issues. Media should inform citizens and policymakers on important policy issues. This study uses a content analysis of 11 newspapers to understand the manner in which reporters covered a specific environmental policy issue in Colorado. Findings indicat...

A community-engaged approach to environmental health research incorporates input and knowledge from members of a community and other stakeholders who are affected by an environmental health issue. Bringing the community voice to public health research and practice can increase the potential for translating research findings into sustainable changes and policies that can reduce exposure to envir...

In this paper we review evolutionary economic modelling in relation to environmental policy. We discuss three areas in which evolutionary economic models have a particularly high added value for environmental policy-making: the double externality problem, technological transitions and consumer demand. We explore the possibilities to apply evolutionary economic models in environmental policy ass...

This paper uses a case study to provide a critical assessment of arguments underlying market-based environmental policy. Market approaches, which rely on economic incentives and property rights to achieve environmental goals, have become increasingly popular in the past two decades. Proponents argue that market approaches should replace “command and control” regulation, which works by penalizin...