Several different theoretical models of economic growth and environmental quality each generate inverse-U-shaped pollution-income paths, or "environmental Kuznets curves." They rely on different assumptions to generate the reversal of pollution trends, with correspondingly different policy implications. While the empirical implications for pollution are indistinguishable (by design), the models have distinct implications for the pattern of people's marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for environmental improvements as a function of income. In this paper we demonstrate those different implications theoretically, and test for them empirically using data from the World Value Survey (WVS). We find strong relationships between MWTP and individual characteristics, such as age, income, and education, but little evidence that MWTP varies systematically with economic growth.
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Paper provided by Georgetown University, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number
gueconwpa~02-02-09.
Length: Date of creation: Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:geo:guwopa:gueconwpa~02-02-09
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Find related papers by JEL classification: D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities Q2 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation R1 - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics - - General Regional Economics
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