IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/hal-05156444.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Spatialisation of incentive-based instruments for pollution control: 50 years of economic theory

Author

Listed:
  • François Destandau

    (SAGE - Sociétés, acteurs, gouvernement en Europe - ENGEES - École Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement de Strasbourg - UNISTRA - Université de Strasbourg - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, ENGEES - École Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement de Strasbourg)

Abstract

The question of spatially differentiated pollution policies first appeared in the economic literature in the early 1970s. For the past 50 years, economists have considered how best to introduce location-specific pollution policies such as Pigovian taxes or tradable permits, and on the basis of which site-specific attributes (polluter characteristics, pollution diffusion, environmental objective, etc.). This article reviews the questions raised and the theoretical results obtained. The central question is when to take account of the local characteristics and when to apply a uniform policy. Through this question, the authors seek to improve environmental policies to fight pollution more effectively.

Suggested Citation

  • François Destandau, 2025. "Spatialisation of incentive-based instruments for pollution control: 50 years of economic theory," Post-Print hal-05156444, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05156444
    DOI: 10.1080/17421772.2025.2512256
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05156444v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hal.science/hal-05156444v1/document
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/17421772.2025.2512256?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Montgomery, W. David, 1972. "Markets in licenses and efficient pollution control programs," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 395-418, December.
    2. Atkinson, Scott E. & Lewis, Donald H., 1974. "A cost-effectiveness analysis of alternative air quality control strategies," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 1(3), pages 237-250, November.
    3. Mendelsohn, Robert, 1986. "Regulating heterogeneous emissions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 301-312, December.
    4. François Destandau & Youssef Zaiter, 2022. "Cost-benefit analysis of nitrate abatement in the Souffel catchment (France): Sensitivity study of the damage and spatialization of the abatement effort," Post-Print hal-03658461, HAL.
    5. Tietenberg, T. H., 1974. "Derived decision rules for pollution control in a general equilibrium space economy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 3-16, May.
    6. Otto A. Davis & Andrew Whinston, 1962. "Externalities, Welfare, and the Theory of Games," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 70(3), pages 241-241.
    7. Gloria E. Helfand & Brett W. House, 1995. "Regulating Nonpoint Source Pollution Under Heterogeneous Conditions," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 77(4), pages 1024-1032.
    8. Seskin, Eugene P. & Anderson, Robert Jr. & Reid, Robert O., 1983. "An empirical analysis of economic strategies for controlling air pollution," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 112-124, June.
    9. Fleming, R. A. & Adams, R. M., 1997. "The Importance of Site-Specific Information in the Design of Policies to Control Pollution," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 347-358, July.
    10. Raúl O’Ryan, 2006. "Factors that determine the cost-effectiveness ranking of second-best instruments for environmental regulation," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 179-198, August.
    11. Kolstad, Charles D., 1987. "Uniformity versus differentiation in regulating externalities," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 386-399, December.
    12. Deng, Huai & Wu, Xianhua & Xu, Hui & Zhang, Dawei, 2024. "Aggregated economic damages and the role of dynamic carbon tax under climate change: A dynamic general equilibrium model," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 1099-1119.
    13. Carpentier, Chantal Line & Bosch, Darrell J. & Batie, Sandra S., 1998. "Using Spatial Information To Reduce Costs Of Controlling Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 27(01), pages 1-13, April.
    14. Krysiak, Frank C. & Schweitzer, Patrick, 2010. "The optimal size of a permit market," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 133-143, September.
    15. Amitrajeet A. Batabyal & Henk Folmer, 2020. "Spatial economic aspects of climate change," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(3), pages 209-218, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cropper, Maureen L & Oates, Wallace E, 1992. "Environmental Economics: A Survey," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 30(2), pages 675-740, June.
    2. Kuwayama, Yusuke & Brozović, Nicholas, 2013. "The regulation of a spatially heterogeneous externality: Tradable groundwater permits to protect streams," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 364-382.
    3. Raúl O'Ryan, 2002. "Factors that Determine the Efficiency Ranking of Second-Best Instruments for Environmental Regulation," Documentos de Trabajo 147, Centro de Economía Aplicada, Universidad de Chile.
    4. Lacroix, A. & Bel, F. & Mollard, A. & Sauboua, E., 2004. "Interest of site-specific pollution control policies," Working Papers 200424, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
    5. Qiu, Zeyuan & Prato, Anthony A., 1999. "Accounting For Spatial Characteristics Of Watersheds In Evaluating Water Pollution Abatement Policies," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 31(01), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Coxhead, Ian A. & Demeke, Bayou, 2006. "Modeling Spatially Differentiated Environmental Policy in a Philippine Watershed: Tradeoffs between Environmental Protection and Poverty Reduction," 2006 Annual meeting, July 23-26, Long Beach, CA 21115, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    7. Yates, Andrew J. & Doyle, Martin W. & Rigby, J.R. & Schnier, Kurt E., 2013. "Market power, private information, and the optimal scale of pollution permit markets with application to North Carolina's Neuse River," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 256-276.
    8. Newell, Richard G & Stavins, Robert N, 2003. "Cost Heterogeneity and the Potential Savings from Market-Based Policies," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 43-59, January.
    9. Caplan, Arthur J. & Sasaki, Yuya, 2014. "Benchmarking an optimal pattern of pollution trading: The case of Cub River, Utah," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 502-510.
    10. Randall, Alan & Taylor, Michael A., 2000. "Incentive-Based Solutions To Agricultural Environmental Problems: Recent Developments In Theory And Practice," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 32(2), pages 1-14, August.
    11. Horan, Richard D. & Claassen, Roger & Cooper, Joseph C., 2000. "Environmental Risk And Agri-Environmental Policy Design," 2000 Annual meeting, July 30-August 2, Tampa, FL 21827, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    12. Mardones, Cristian, 2024. "Measuring the efficiency gains of merging carbon markets – A microsimulation for thermoelectric and industrial sources," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    13. Yuya Sasaki & Arthur Caplan, 2008. "Matching Heterogeneous Traders in Quantity-Regulated Markets," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 31(4), pages 341-362, May.
    14. Stavins, Robert & Newell, Richard, 2000. "Abatement-Cost Heterogeneity and Anticipated Savings from Market-Based Environmental Policies," Working Paper Series rwp00-006, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    15. Anna Lungarska & Pierre-Alain Jayet, 2018. "Impact of Spatial Differentiation of Nitrogen Taxes on French Farms’ Compliance Costs," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 69(1), pages 1-21, January.
    16. Revesz, Richard & Stavins, Robert, 2004. "Environmental Law and Policy," Working Paper Series rwp04-023, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    17. François Destandau & Youssef Zaiter, 2022. "Cost-benefit analysis of nitrate abatement in the Souffel catchment (France): Sensitivity study of the damage and spatialization of the abatement effort," Post-Print hal-03658461, HAL.
    18. Arthur J. Caplan & Yuya Sasaki, 2009. "Matching Traders in a Pollution Market: The Case of Cub River, Utah," Working Papers 2009-08, Utah State University, Department of Economics.
    19. Philippe Bontems & Gilles Rotillon & Nadine Turpin, 2004. "Improvement of water quality as a joint production of milk when dairy farms are heterogeneous [Incitation à la production jointe d'eau de qualité et de lait lorsque les exploitations laitières sont," Post-Print hal-01606126, HAL.
    20. Athanasios Kampas & Ben White, 2004. "Administrative Costs and Instrument Choice for Stochastic Non-point Source Pollutants," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 27(2), pages 109-133, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05156444. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.