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Temporal displacement of environmental crime : Evidence from marine oil pollution

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  • Vollaard, Ben

    (Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management)

Abstract

The probability of conviction commonly varies across different circumstances due to imperfect monitoring. Evidence of whether and how offenders exploit gaps in monitoring provides insight into the process by which deterrence is produced. We present an empirical test of temporal displacement of illegal discharges of oil from shipping, a major source of ocean pollution, in response to a monitoring technology that features variation in the probability of conviction by time of day. After sunset and before sunrise, evidence collected using airborne radar day-round becomes contestable in court because the nature of an identified spot cannot be verified visually. Using data from surveillance flights above the Dutch part of the North Sea during 1992-2011, we only find evidence for temporal displacement after 1999, with further tightening of the regulations. By that time, the overall level of discharges had been reduced considerably, making the observed temporal displacement relatively small in absolute levels.
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  • Vollaard, Ben, 2017. "Temporal displacement of environmental crime : Evidence from marine oil pollution," Other publications TiSEM 145e8cf6-0af4-41d8-a6ce-6, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    • Handle: RePEc:tiu:tiutis:145e8cf6-0af4-41d8-a6ce-6b2a2c84a6fe
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    2. Browne, Oliver R. & Gazze, Ludovica & Greenstone, Michael & Rostapshova, Olga, 2022. "Man vs. Machine : Technological Promise and Political Limits of Automated Regulation Enforcement," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 646, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    3. Li, He & Lu, Juan, 2021. "Can stable environmental protection officials’ tenure reduce illegal emissions?," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    4. Kastoryano, Stephen & Vollaard, Ben, 2022. "Nautical Patrol and Illegal Fishing Practices," Discussion Paper 2022-016, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    5. Stefano Castriota & Mirco Tonin, 2023. "Stay or flee? Hit-and-run accidents, darkness and probability of punishment," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 117-144, February.
    6. Kastoryano, Stephen & Vollaard, Ben, 2023. "Unseen annihilation: Illegal fishing practices and nautical patrol," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    7. Jin, Peizhen & Wang, Siyu & Yin, Desheng & Zhang, Hang, 2023. "Environmental institutional supply that shapes a green economy: Evidence from Chinese cities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    8. Zou, Eric, 2017. "Unwatched Pollution: The Effect of Incomplete Monitoring on Air Quality," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258274, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    9. Agarwal, Sumit & Han, Yajie & Qin, Yu & Zhu, Hongjia, 2023. "Disguised pollution: Industrial activities in the dark," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    10. Teresa Lappe‐Osthege, 2024. "The Ripple Effects of Compliance: Reconfiguring EU Policy Effectiveness in Transboundary Environmental Governance," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(3), pages 653-670, May.
    11. Gil, Ricard & Macis, Mario, 2015. ""Ain't No Rest for the Wicked": Population, Crime, and the 2013 Government Shutdown," IZA Discussion Papers 8864, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Vikram Maheshri & Giovanni Mastrobuoni, 2018. "Do Security Measures Displace Crime? Theory and Evidence from Italian Bank Robberies," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 579, Collegio Carlo Alberto.

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    JEL classification:

    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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