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Economic Inequality and Environmental Quality: Evidence of Pollution Shifting in Russia

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  • Marina Vornovytskyy
  • James Boyce

Abstract

This paper utilizes the Russian Statistical Agency's data on air pollution in Russia to analyze the impact of economic inequalities among Russia's regions on environmental degradation. Controlling for the absolute level of income, we find that regions with lower incomes relative to those of neighboring regions have more uncontrolled air pollution. In addition, we find that greater within-region inequalities in income and in the provision of public goods are associated with greater uncontrolled air pollution.

Suggested Citation

  • Marina Vornovytskyy & James Boyce, 2010. "Economic Inequality and Environmental Quality: Evidence of Pollution Shifting in Russia," Working Papers wp217, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
    • Handle: RePEc:uma:periwp:wp217
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Sudeshna Ghosh, 2019. "Environmental Pollution, Income Inequality, and Household Energy Consumption: Evidence from the United Kingdom," Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy (JICEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 10(02), pages 1-31, June.
    2. Alexandre BERTHE & Luc ELIE, 2014. "Les conséquences environnementales des inégalités économiques : structuration théorique et perspectives de recherche (In French)," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2014-18, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    3. Lin Guo, 2017. "Income Inequality, Household Consumption And Co2 Emissions In China," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 62(02), pages 531-553, June.
    4. John Voorheis, 2017. "Longitudinal Environmental Inequality and Environmental Gentrification: Who Gains From Cleaner Air?," CARRA Working Papers 2017-04, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    5. Natalia Davidson & Oleg Mariev & Sophia Turkanova, 2021. "Does income inequality matter for CO2 emissions in Russian regions?," Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 16(3), pages 533-551, September.
    6. Obadiah Jonathan Gimba & Abdulkareem Alhassan & Huseyin Ozdeser & Wafa Ghardallou & Mehdi Seraj & Ojonugwa Usman, 2023. "Towards low carbon and sustainable environment: does income inequality mitigate ecological footprints in Sub-Saharan Africa?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(9), pages 10425-10445, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Air pollution; environmental inequality; pollution shifting; regional inequality; environmental Kuznets curve; Russia - environment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • P25 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
    • P28 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Natural Resources; Environment
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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