Environmental Sustainability and Regulation: To-Down Versus Bottom-Up Regulation

Mariam, Yohannes (2001): Environmental Sustainability and Regulation: To-Down Versus Bottom-Up Regulation.

Abstract

Environmental regulation can be broadly divided into those that follow the top-down and bottom-up approaches. The two approaches have similar objective with respect to environmental protection and sustainability. However, the success with which each approach achieves goals of environmental protection and sustainability may vary. Moreover, the costs and benefits of each approach differ. The present study will explore the implication of environmental regulation to sustainability, costs associated with regulations, and alternatives with respect to using mixes of market-based instruments. The study will review top-down and bottom-up environmental regulations with the objective of identifying weakness and strength of each approach. Furthermore, the study will make recommendations on possible strategies (e.g., mixes of regulatory instruments) that will contribute toward the attainment of sustainable environment, and by implication to sustainable development.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Regulation; Top-down; Bottom-up; Market-based; Performance-based; Environmental
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q4 - Energy > Q48 - Government Policy; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q53 - Air Pollution ; Water Pollution ; Noise ; Hazardous Waste ; Solid Waste ; Recycling; L - Industrial Organization > L5 - Regulation and Industrial Policy > L51 - Economics of Regulation; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q57 - Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services ; Biodiversity Conservation ; Bioeconomics ; Industrial Ecology; L - Industrial Organization > L9 - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities > L94 - Electric Utilities; L - Industrial Organization > L5 - Regulation and Industrial Policy > L52 - Industrial Policy ; Sectoral Planning Methods; L - Industrial Organization > L9 - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities > L95 - Gas Utilities ; Pipelines ; Water Utilities; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q56 - Environment and Development ; Environment and Trade ; Sustainability ; Environmental Accounts and Accounting ; Environmental Equity ; Population Growth; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q4 - Energy > Q43 - Energy and the Macroeconomy; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q58 - Government Policy; L - Industrial Organization > L9 - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities > L98 - Government Policy

References

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