Environmental performance index and economic welfare

Halkos, George and Zisiadou, Argyro (2016): Environmental performance index and economic welfare.

Abstract

This study relies in the proposed methodology by the Universities of Yale and Columbia for constructing an environmental performance index. Two different versions of the index are considered and compared having as reference point our country (Greece) and comparing it with other countries in the Mediterranean as well as in Northern Europe. Both versions (the one of 2014 and the other of 2016) of the index consists of two components, the environmental health and the ecosystem vitality. These two components are constructed with the help of nine variables (and nineteen indicators behind) relevant to the environment. These variables are health impact, air quality, water and sanitation, water resources, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, biodiversity and habitat and climate and energy. In the case of EPI 2016 the construction of the index has improved relying on the same two components and 9 variables but in twenty (in most cases different) indicators. Next the index is used with some socio-economic variables in order to model its behavior. The empirical findings and the associated policy implications are discussed together with future extensions.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Environmental performance index; economic welfare.
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D6 - Welfare Economics > D60 - General; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q0 - General > Q01 - Sustainable Development; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q50 - General; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q58 - Government Policy

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