Robert N. Stavins

December 30, 2004

Political Economy of Environmental Regulation

Book

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

The Political Economy of Environmental Regulation is a new authoritative collection comprised of previously published papers: economic analyses of the processes through which political decisions regarding environmental regulation are made, principally in the institutional context found in the United States. Despite this geographic focus, many of the papers contain analytical models that are methodologically of interest and/or have lessons that are relevant in other parts of the world.

In the environmental realm, questions of political economy emerge along three fundamental dimensions, which are closely interrelated but conceptually distinct: (1) the degrees of government activity; (2) the form of government activity; and (3) the level of government that has responsibility. The first three parts of the book deal respectively with these three fundamental dimensions of inquiry. The fourth part of the book examines the use of economic analysis in contemporary environmental policy.

The Political Economy of Environmental Regulation will be of significant interest to environmental scholars, students and policy makers alike.

December 2004

"Forging a More Effective Global Climate Treaty"

Journal Article, Environment, issue 46

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

Written shortly before the Kytoto Protocol went into force, the article looks ahead to a more effective approach.

September 9, 2003

Thirteen Plus One: A Comparison of Global Climate Policy Architectures

Journal Article, Climate Policy, issue 4, volume 3

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements, Joseph E. Aldy, Faculty Affiliate, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements and Scott Barrett

A critical review of the Kyoto Protocol and thirteen alternative policy architectures for addressing the threat of global climate change.

April 28, 2003

Taking Fish to Market; Why Not Trade Fishing Rights Like Pollution Credits?

Magazine or Newspaper Article, Forbes

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

2003

"Increasing Participation and Compliance in International Climate Change Agreements"

Journal Article, International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, volume 3

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

Assesses from an economics perspective policy approaches to increasing participation and compliance in international climate agreements.

December 2, 2002

A Better Way to Regulate Fishing

Op-Ed, Boston Globe

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

April 4, 2001

Give Bush Time on Climate Issues

Op-Ed, Boston Globe

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

President Bush announced in early 2001 that the United States would not participate in international negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol. This 1997 agreement would govern emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, linked with potential global climate change. The announcement triggered predictions of disaster from some environmental groups and claims of victory from skeptics. Both reactions may prove shortsighted.

August 10, 2000

"Climate Change and Forest Sinks: Factors Affecting the Costs of Carbon Sequestration"

Discussion Paper

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

We examine the sensitivity of carbon sequestration costs to changes in critical factors, including the nature of the management and deforestation regimes, silvicultural species, agricultural prices, and discount rates.

February 2000

"Abatement-Cost Heterogeneity and Anticipated Savings from Market-Based Environmental Policies"

Discussion Paper

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

Over the past decade, policy makers in many parts of the world have given increasing attention to market-based instruments for environmental protection, including various types of tradeable permit and charge systems (Stavins 1999). Whereas market-based environmental policy instruments were controversial just ten years ago, they have now evolved in political circles to the point of becoming a conventional wisdom, at least in the United States (Keohane, Revesz, and Stavins 1998). This change may please many economists concerned with environmental policy, but it also highlights the importance of identifying the appropriate policy instrument for each environmental problem that is faced in its particular socio-economic context. In some cases, market-based instruments may be highly desirable, but in other cases their advantages may be relatively small. Our fundamental purpose is to provide some relatively simple rules-of-thumb for policy analysts and policy makers engaged in the early stages of exploring alternative policy instruments, with the hope that such rules-of-thumb can help identify policy instruments that merit more detailed investigation.

2000

"Climate Change and Forest Sinks: Factors Affecting the Costs of Carbon Sequestration"

Journal Article, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

Examines the sensitivity of carbon sequestration costs to changes in critical factors, including the nature of management and deforestation regimes, silvicultural species, relative prices, and discount rates.