Environmental Regulations and Industrial Competitiveness

Abstract

Industries in the U.S. emit billions of pounds of toxic chemicals into the environment every year, resulting in a major risk to human health. Many economists and policy makers, however, are strongly opposed to environmental regulations based on an assumption that regulations lead to a loss of jobs and a declining standard of living for U.S. citizens. The empirical literature on this question has produced mixed results, and this chapter critically assesses several conceptual and methodological issues that are embedded in this literature. Our thesis is that stringent environmental regulations have the potential to effectively and efficiently reduce toxic emissions from polluting firms and industries while having a negligible impact on the economic competitiveness of firms and industries. We investigate this thesis through three empirical case studies of polluting industries in Southern California that are highly regulated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD): metal finishing, wood furniture, and dry cleaning. We also attempt to reveal the institutional process by which firms comply with environmental regulations.