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Income and Power Inequality as Determinants of Environmental and Health Outcomes: Some Findings

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  • Mariano Torras

Abstract

Objective. The article corrects for two main shortcomings in conventional economic analyses of environmental change. First is the overemphasis placed on income growth, and general disregard for other socioeconomic factors. Second is economists' often oversimplified view of the environment, where distinctions between environmental necessities such as potable water and so‐called environmental luxuries are ignored. I test for the effectiveness of power inequality in explaining access to sanitation and safe water as well as their health consequences. Methods. I develop a two‐stage model seeking first to explain changes in the environmental variables and then population health. I employ ordinary least squares regressions on international cross‐sectional data. Results. Some dimensions of power inequality outperform per‐capita income as possible determinants of population health. Neither power inequality nor income is clearly superior at explaining environmental quality. Conclusion. The study casts further doubt on the importance of per‐capita income in explaining environmental and health outcomes.

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  • Mariano Torras, 2005. "Income and Power Inequality as Determinants of Environmental and Health Outcomes: Some Findings," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 86(s1), pages 1354-1376, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:86:y:2005:i:s1:p:1354-1376
    DOI: 10.1111/j.0038-4941.2005.00350.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Azmat Gani, 2012. "The Relationship Between Good Governance And Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Evidence From Developing Economies," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 37(1), pages 77-93, March.
    2. Mazur Anna & Phutkaradze Zaur & Jaba Phutkaradze, 2015. "Economic Growth and Environmental Quality in the European Union Countries – Is there Evidence for the Environmental Kuznets Curve?," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 45(1), pages 108-126, March.
    3. Gani, Azmat & Scrimgeour, Frank, 2014. "Modeling governance and water pollution using the institutional ecological economic framework," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 363-372.
    4. Jan Polcyn & Liton Chandra Voumik & Mohammad Ridwan & Samrat Ray & Viktoriia Vovk, 2023. "Evaluating the Influences of Health Expenditure, Energy Consumption, and Environmental Pollution on Life Expectancy in Asia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-18, February.
    5. 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.

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