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Efficiency in Managing the Environment and the Opportunity Cost of Pollution Abatement

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  • Subhash C. Ray

    (University of Connecticut)

  • Kankana Mukherjee

    (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

Abstract

Using the directional distance function we study a cross section of 110 countries to examine the efficiency of management of the tradeoffs between pollution and income. The DEA model is reformulated to permit 'reverse disposability' of the bad output. Further, we interpret the optimal solution of the multiplier form of the DEA model as an iso-inefficiency line. This permits us to measure the shadow cost of the bad output for a country that is in the interior, rather than on the frontier of the production possibilities set. We also compare the relative environmental performance of countries in terms of emission intensity adjusted for technical efficiency. Only 10% of the countries are found to be on the frontier. Also, there is considerable inter-country variation in the imputed opportunity cost of CO2 reduction. Further, differences in technical efficiency contribute substantially to differences in the observed levels of CO2 intensity.

Suggested Citation

  • Subhash C. Ray & Kankana Mukherjee, 2007. "Efficiency in Managing the Environment and the Opportunity Cost of Pollution Abatement," Working papers 2007-09, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:uct:uconnp:2007-09
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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Po-Chi & Yu, Ming-Miin & Chang, Ching-Cheng & Hsu, Shih-Hsun & Managi, Shunsuke, 2015. "The enhanced Russell-based directional distance measure with undesirable outputs: Numerical example considering CO2 emissions," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 30-40.
    2. Yagi, Michiyuki & Hidemichi, Fujii & Hoang, Vincent & Managi, Shunsuke, 2015. "Environmental efficiency of energy, materials, and emissions," MPRA Paper 65358, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Chuang Li & Subhash C. Ray, 2021. "Opportunity Cost and Employment Effect of Emission Reduction: An Inter-Industry Comparison of Targeted Pollution Reduction," Working papers 2021-13, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    4. Margaréta Halická & Mária Trnovská, 2018. "Negative features of hyperbolic and directional distance models for technologies with undesirable outputs," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 26(4), pages 887-907, December.
    5. Fukuyama, Hirofumi & Tan, Yong, 2022. "Implementing strategic disposability for performance evaluation: Innovation, stability, profitability and corporate social responsibility in Chinese banking," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 296(2), pages 652-668.
    6. He, Xiaoping, 2015. "Regional differences in China's CO2 abatement cost," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 145-152.
    7. Kristof Witte & Rui Marques, 2010. "Influential observations in frontier models, a robust non-oriented approach to the water sector," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 181(1), pages 377-392, December.
    8. Subhash C. Ray & Kankana Mukherjee & Anand Venkatesh, 2018. "Nonparametric measures of efficiency in the presence of undesirable outputs: a by-production approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 54(1), pages 31-65, February.
    9. Fukuyama, Hirofumi & Liu, Hui-hui & Song, Yao-yao & Yang, Guo-liang, 2021. "Measuring the capacity utilization of the 48 largest iron and steel enterprises in China," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 288(2), pages 648-665.
    10. Lozano, Sebastián & Gutiérrez, Ester, 2008. "Non-parametric frontier approach to modelling the relationships among population, GDP, energy consumption and CO2 emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(4), pages 687-699, July.

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    Keywords

    Data Envelopment Analysis; directional distance function; pollution- income tradeoff; shadow price.;
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