Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- List of Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction and Plan of the Book
- Part 1 The Basics
- Part 2 Trade and Environment
- Note to Part 2
- 7 Trade and Environment: An Overview of Theory
- 8 Theory of Trade and Environment: A Diagrammatic Exposition
- 9 Theory of Policy: Partial Equilibrium, Terms of Trade, and Distributional Issues
- 10 Trade-Environment Policy: Evolution of the Debate and Taxonomy of the Issues
- 11 Institutional and Policy Responses: OECD, WTO/GATT, EU, and NAFTA
- 12 Empirical Studies
- Part 3 Transnational Pollution and Management of International Resources
- Part 4 Sustainable Development
- References
- Index
12 - Empirical Studies
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 December 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- List of Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction and Plan of the Book
- Part 1 The Basics
- Part 2 Trade and Environment
- Note to Part 2
- 7 Trade and Environment: An Overview of Theory
- 8 Theory of Trade and Environment: A Diagrammatic Exposition
- 9 Theory of Policy: Partial Equilibrium, Terms of Trade, and Distributional Issues
- 10 Trade-Environment Policy: Evolution of the Debate and Taxonomy of the Issues
- 11 Institutional and Policy Responses: OECD, WTO/GATT, EU, and NAFTA
- 12 Empirical Studies
- Part 3 Transnational Pollution and Management of International Resources
- Part 4 Sustainable Development
- References
- Index
Summary
Introduction
Chapter 10 suggested that most trade-environment policy issues can be placed into one of four categories. This classification also serves to group empirical studies, although the number of studies in each category and their quality is rather uneven. In Section 2 we start with those studies that primarily focus on competitiveness – the effects of environmental regulation of production on the level and pattern of international trade and investment. Section 3 considers empirical analyses of environmentally related product standards and ecolabelling, as well as the few studies analyzing the use of trade measures to achieve international environmental objectives. Section 4 reviews studies that measure the effects of trade and trade liberalization on environmental resources.
On the whole, the empirical or measurement work is not especially satisfying. One reason is that much of the analytical and public policy interest in trade-environment issues is of recent origin and the collection of relevant data is just starting. But even when the debate stretches back over two decades, as in the case of competitiveness, problems of definition, methodology, and data have made empirical work difficult. Nevertheless, it is important to get a sense of the quantitative importance of trade environment questions, to inform current policy-making, and to guide future research.
Competitiveness Questions
A central hypothesis is that countries, or sectors within countries, confronting strict environmental regulations and high pollution-abatement costs may be placed at an international competitive disadvantage.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Economics and the Global Environment , pp. 307 - 338Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2000