Dear Aseem and all, I really enjoyed reading the exchange of these e-mails, and although I agree that it is difficult to create a cross-national measure for environmental protection, I still believe that there are some ways to create an important dataset.
As a part of my dissertation work, I have created a database of the adoption of vehicle emissions standards for all countries, and I would love to collaborate with others on some different standards/policies if there is some interest. If anyone is interested in the emissions standards database, please let me know. Thank you, Eri On Fri, Aug 13, 2010 at 4:25 PM, Aseem Prakash <[email protected]>wrote: > > > Colleagues: > > First, thanks to all who have responded to my query, and started this > interesting conversation. > > Since Marc noted that "Aseem doesn't say what he wants to do with the > data," I guess I should break my silence as well. > > From my perspective, there are many interesting questions to be > explored systematically given that, all else equal, the > regulatory context arguably an important driver of state, firm, and > household behaviors (and vice versa). The attached paper indicates the > types of issues I'm grappling with. > > To illustrate, all else equal, stringency of regulations can be > hypothesized as an > important driver of environmental policy outputs and policy outcomes > (e.g., pollution levels per capita or per $GDP, green taxes, environmental > treaties, ISO 14001 adoption, etc.). > It can have spillovers (positive and negative) in other issue areas such as > labor regulations. > Given that regulation is not exogenous to political and economic processes, > regulatory stringency can also > be viewed as a dependent variable to assess the influence of the variables > pointed out above. > Net, many interesting questions can be explored. > > I applaud Marc Levy, Dan Esty and others who have created and shared > datasets. > These datasets have certainly helped me to explore the questions I am > interested in. > It seems there is an opportunity for some of us to write a big grant to > create cross-national environmental law database (e.g. see that fabulous > service Feenstra > has done to the trade scholars with his database). > > Again, thanks for investing your valuable time in helping me out. Hope > everybody is having a restful summer. > > Best, > > Aseem > > > > > > ******************************************** > Aseem Prakash > Professor > Department of Political Science > 39 Gowen Hall, Box 353530 > University of Washington > Seattle, WA 98195-3530 > > 206-543-2399 > 206-685-2146 (fax) > [email protected] > http://faculty.washington.edu/aseem/ > > On Fri, 13 Aug 2010, Marc Levy wrote: > > > Since David asked, I'll break my silence and chime in. > > > > People have tried for decades to arrive a simple, quantitative, > > cross-national measure that would gauge level of effort devoted to > > environmental protection. Nobody has succeeded. It isn't hard to > > understand why: > > > > - Circumstances vary (what is hard to achieve in one place is easy > > in another). > > > > - Priorities vary (what is a big problem in one place is not in > another). > > > > - Mechanisms vary (some places use binding regulations, some use > > codes of conduct, some use process-oriented approaches; some use > > outcome-oriented approaches, etc.). > > > > - And data availability is very spotty. Many people don't want you > > to know the answer to this question, and they succeed at obfuscating > > it. Others wouldn't mind if you know, but they don't have resources > > to carry out the necessary measures. > > > > The EPI and its precursor the Environmental Sustainability Index were > > efforts to fill some of the information gaps, but they never targeted > > the question of "stringency" or "severity" of regulation. You'll find > > some nuggets of useful information but you'll be chewing to the bone > > without getting the meat you want. > > > > As one commenter suggested, an expert survey is one way to overcome > > all these limitations. Level of effort aimed at protection is > > complicated, but if you are well informed then you know it when you > > see it. For one really interesting effort along these lines check out > > http://www.inece.org/forumsindicators.html. What INECE is doing is > > very well conceived, but they don't have large-n data sets yet. > > > > You can probably hunt down some proxies, but Aseem doesn't say what he > > wants to do with the data. > > > > Cheers, > > > > Marc > > > > > > > > -- > > Marc A. Levy > > Deputy Director, CIESIN > > Adjunct Professor, SIPA > > > > PO Box 1000 > > 61 Route 9W > > Palisades, NY 10964 > > t +1 845-365-8964 > > f +1 845-365-8922 > > m +1 845-270-5762 > > > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Aug 13, 2010 at 3:37 PM, Downie, David <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> With respect to Aseem's original question, some global regimes have > attempted to catalogue national policies related to their issue area however > they do not address severity. EPI has strengths and weaknesses. We should > ask Marc Levy what he thinks about using it to answer the comparative > severity question in a rigorous manner. > >> > >> Raul's dissertation rubric is a solid approach but I completely agree > with him, and others, that measuring and comparing severity depends on how > you define it and even then it might be the wrong question. Thus, I share > the perspective that, ultimately it is not the severity of the legislation > that matters but the result - the actual state of the environment, the > amount of effluents released, e.g. the amount of resources consumed. One can > imagine that a country that has effectively built sustainability into its > economic and social systems might have few or weak environmental rules but > little pollution. And, as noted and widely acknowledged, effective and > uniform enforcement can be as important as the severity of the law (as you > know, on some issues, many of china's national environmental laws, policies > and goals - the words on the page - are strong but local enforcement of > Beijing's policies can vary). Effective implementation has been as important > an issue for many yea! > rs as policy creation -- especially for policy makers but also for > academics. For example, creating systems to help ensure that strong national > laws on ozone depleting substances were actually implemented effectively was > a topic of discussion within sub-groups of the ozone regime since at least > 1989 and is of concern to some participating in or observing the nascent > global mercury negotiations, particularly in relation to certain gold-mining > sectors. > >> > >> > >> -------------------------------------------------------- > >> David Downie > >> Director, Program on the Environment > >> Fairfield University > >> > >> Fairfield University, Donnarumma 217 > >> 1073 North Benson Road > >> Fairfield, CT 06824 > >> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> ; 203-254-4000, > ext 3504 > >> > >> ________________________________ > >> > >> From: [email protected] on behalf of [email protected] > >> Sent: Thu 8/12/2010 5:27 PM > >> To: [email protected]; [email protected]; > [email protected] > >> Subject: RE: [gep-ed] data question > >> > >> > >> > >> I would add to Angus' observations about enforcement that enforcement > takes > >> place at multiple levels and through various actors. I think that too > often > >> enforcement is defined too narrowly as what government(s) do to regulate > >> particular activities. These often are limited by the mechanisms through > >> which agencies work: periodic and oft' times pre-announced site visits > and > >> testing for compliance. I think a better measure is the extent to which > >> governments support nongovernment organizations and individuals as > >> quasi-regulatory actors. This includes whether and to what extent > employees > >> are encouraged and/or supported by laws and governments in reporting > >> violations, because they have intimate knowledge about actual practices > >> that may otherwise be hidden from regulators. I think the BP fiasco > offers > >> some insight into how important employees can be in acting, or not, to > >> protect themselves and the environment. > >> > >> Darrell Whitman > >> > >> > >> Original Message: > >> ----------------- > >> From: Wright, Angus [email protected] > >> Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:54:18 -0700 > >> To: [email protected], [email protected] > >> Subject: RE: [gep-ed] data question > >> > >> > >> > >> In my experience in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and reading > >> regarding other countries, the key is more often enforcement effort > rather > >> than the letter of the law. An aggressive government and/or prosecutors > can > >> do a great deal with relatively loose laws, and, on the other hand, can > use > >> very tough looking legislation as nothing more than a smoke screen that > >> enables poor performance. Of course, it goes without saying that it is > best > >> to have an aggressive government enforcement effort and stringent law, > >> although some of my friends and ex-students in California state > government > >> complain mightily that sometimes stringent laws, by too great caution > and > >> specificity, can actually stand in the way of effective enforcement, > and, > >> especially, of remediation. > >> > >> These observations may be platitudinous to all of you, but such points > >> often seem to get lost in the legal and political science literature, as > >> well as in journalistic treatments. > >> > >> Angus > >> > >> Angus Wright > >> Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies > >> California State University, Sacramento > >> ________________________________________ > >> From: [email protected] [[email protected]] On Behalf Of > Raul > >> Pacheco-Vega [[email protected]] > >> Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 9:06 PM > >> To: [email protected] >> "[email protected]" > >> Subject: Re: [gep-ed] data question > >> > >> Dear Asseem, Kevin and colleagues, > >> > >> I have previously criticized measurements of stringency of environmental > >> laws, and to this day, I do not think we have one that is rigorous > >> enough. How would we define stringency of environmental law? Number of > >> inspections of industrial plants per year? Re-incidence of inspection? > >> Amount of money paid per infraction (fine)? > >> > >> When I wrote my doctoral dissertation I used a combined measure of > >> number of plant inspections and fines to assess Mexican environmental > >> regulatory pressure, but I acknowledged it was a very rough measure. I > >> agree with Kevin that EPI could be used, but I think we still are far > >> away from a solid measurement of regulatory stringency. > >> > >> Yours, > >> Raul > >> > >> Kevin Gallagher wrote: > >>> A. Prakash > >>> > >>> I think the best you can do with that and a grain of salt is Esty's > >>> "Environmental Performance Index" at Yale: > >>> > >>> http://epi.yale.edu/ > >>> > >>> Best > >>> > >>> Kevin Gallagher > >>> > >>> wrote: > >>>> > >>>> Hello, > >>>> > >>>> I am looking for cross-national data on stringency of environmental > >>>> laws and levels of carbon taxation. Any suggestions where I might > >>>> find such data? > >>>> > >>>> Many thanks, > >>>> > >>>> ******************************************** > >>>> Aseem Prakash > >>>> Professor > >>>> Department of Political Science > >>>> 39 Gowen Hall, Box 353530 > >>>> University of Washington > >>>> Seattle, WA 98195-3530 > >>>> > >>>> 206-543-2399 > >>>> 206-685-2146 (fax) > >>>> [email protected] > >>>> http://faculty.washington.edu/aseem/ > >>> > >>> > >> > >> -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> mail2web - Check your email from the web at > >> http://link.mail2web.com/mail2web > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > > -- ============================== Eri Saikawa Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Science, Technology and Environmental Policy Program Ph.D. candidate e-mail: [email protected] [email protected] http://www.princeton.edu/~esaikawa/ ==============================
