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Government Spending and Air Pollution in the US

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  • Islam, Asif M.
  • López, Ramón E.

Abstract

This study examines the effect of the composition of federal and state government spending on various important air pollutants in the United States using a newly assembled data set of government expenditures. The results indicate that a reallocation of spending from private goods to social and public goods by state and local governments reduces air pollution concentrations while changes in the composition of federal spending have no effect. An increase in the share of social and public goods spending by state and local governments by 1 standard deviation reduces sulfur dioxide concentrations by 2–3%, particular matter 2.5 concentrations by 3–5%, and ozone concentrations by 2–6% of their respective standard deviations. The results are robust to various sensitivity checks.

Suggested Citation

  • Islam, Asif M. & López, Ramón E., 2015. "Government Spending and Air Pollution in the US," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 8(2), pages 139-189, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:now:jirere:101.00000068
    DOI: 10.1561/101.00000068
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    8. Galinato, Gregmar I. & Galinato, Suzette P., 2016. "The effects of government spending on deforestation due to agricultural land expansion and CO2 related emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 43-53.
    9. Adewuyi, Adeolu O., 2016. "Effects of public and private expenditures on environmental pollution: A dynamic heterogeneous panel data analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 489-506.
    10. Galinato, Gregmar I. & Islam, Asif, 2017. "The challenge of addressing consumption pollutants with fiscal policy," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(5), pages 624-647, October.
    11. Li, Xin & Li, Zheng & Su, Chi-Wei & Umar, Muhammad & Shao, Xuefeng, 2022. "Exploring the asymmetric impact of economic policy uncertainty on China's carbon emissions trading market price: Do different types of uncertainty matter?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    12. Peng Yuelan & Muhammad Waqas Akbar & Zeenat Zia & Muhammad Imran Arshad, 2022. "Exploring the nexus between tax revenues, government expenditures, and climate change: empirical evidence from Belt and Road Initiative countries," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 1365-1395, August.
    13. Lu, Hongyou & Xu, Wenli & Xu, Kun, 2016. "How to Make The Fiscal policies Greener in China?——Based on The Perspective of Environmental Macroeconomics," MPRA Paper 70221, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Akan, Taner, 2023. "Can renewable energy mitigate the impacts of inflation and policy interest on climate change?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 255-289.
    15. Andrew Adewale Alola & Nihat Doganalp & Hephzibah Onyeje Obekpa, 2023. "The influence of renewable energy and economic freedom aspects on ecological sustainability in the G7 countries," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 716-727, April.
    16. Nor Salwati Othman & Hussain Ali Bekhet, 2021. "Dynamic Effects of Malaysia's Government Spending on Environment Quality: Bridging STIRPAT and EKC Hypothesis," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(5), pages 343-355.
    17. Iftikhar Yasin & Nawaz Ahmad & M. Aslam Chaudhary, 2020. "Catechizing the Environmental-Impression of Urbanization, Financial Development, and Political Institutions: A Circumstance of Ecological Footprints in 110 Developed and Less-Developed Countries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 621-649, January.
    18. Halkos, George E. & Paizanos, Epameinondas Α., 2016. "The effects of fiscal policy on CO2 emissions: Evidence from the U.S.A," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 317-328.
    19. Mustafa Kamal & Muhammad Usman & Atif Jahanger & Daniel Balsalobre-Lorente, 2021. "Revisiting the Role of Fiscal Policy, Financial Development, and Foreign Direct Investment in Reducing Environmental Pollution during Globalization Mode: Evidence from Linear and Nonlinear Panel Data ," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-25, October.
    20. Ren Yishuai & Jiang Yong & Ma Chaoqun & Liu Jianglong & Chen Jing, 2021. "Will Tax Burden Be a Stumbling Block to Carbon-Emission Reduction? Evidence from OECD Countries," Journal of Systems Science and Information, De Gruyter, vol. 9(4), pages 335-355, August.
    21. Cheng-Feng Wu & Fangjhy Li & Hsin-Pei Hsueh & Chien-Ming Wang & Meng-Chen Lin & Tsangyao Chang, 2020. "A Dynamic Relationship between Environmental Degradation, Healthcare Expenditure and Economic Growth in Wavelet Analysis: Empirical Evidence from Taiwan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-17, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Air pollution; Government spending; Public goods; Market imperfections;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General
    • H40 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - General
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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