Alternative Policies Research Articles

Increasing Gender Integration inU.S. Marine Corps Recruit Training: Policy Recommendations andRationales From an Interdisciplinary Study.

This article describes alternate models and policy recommendations created by an interdisciplinary team of researchers to increase gender integration at U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) recruit training. The USMC requested a study to analyze current approaches to gender integration at recruit training and provide alternate models that maximize integration, while continuing to train marines to established standards. USMC remains the only service that segregates recruits by gender at the lowest unit level (e.g., platoon) in recruit training and maintains gender-segregated drill instructor teams (i.e., same-gender teams train platoons of same-gender recruits). A mixed-method, interdisciplinary approach was used to capture multiple perspectives and informed recommendations and alternate models for gender integration. The team studied select USMC, army, navy, air force, and coast guard recruit training locations, between June and November 2021. At each site, the team collected qualitative, quantitative, and administrative data as well as physical performance metrics and human performance outcomes. Study participants included recruits, drill instructors, training cadre, service leaders, and subject matter experts on gender integration in military services. Each alternate model was designed to maximize the feasibility of implementation within current USMC training conditions. The research team developed three alternate models and several policy recommendations. Alternate model 1 proposed a methodology for mixed-gender drill instructor teams within the Integrated Company model, USMC's current integrated training model. Alternate model 2 proposed an Integrated Company Plus model which increases the number and types of gender-integrated training events at or below the platoon level within the Integrated Company model. Alternate model 3 outlined an integrated platoon model where recruits fall out into integrated training platoons after their morning routine, with two options of varying integration based on USMC priorities for integration. The team also proposed a set of policy recommendations independent of the three alternate models to support current and future gender integration efforts at the Marine Corps Recruit Depots. Gender-integrated military training has been shown to positively alter perceptions and evaluations of women in military settings over detrimental aspects developed by gender-segregated training. The study team recommended USMC train recruits in the Integrated Company model with mixed-gender drill instructor teams (alternate model 1) and integrate more training events following the priority tiers outlined in the Integrated Company plus model (alternate model 2). The combined execution of these two alternate models would provide USMC recruits increased exposure to direct, sustained training from opposite-gender drill instructors and deliver intentional training opportunities for male and female recruits to work together and interact in meaningful ways. The integrated platoon model (alternate model 3) would offer USMC recruits the most direct exposure to training and working with members of the opposite gender, but it requires substantial changes to current logistics, accountability, and training procedures.

Analisis Pengelolaan Water Sports Event Sebagai Destinasi Wisata Olahraga di Danau Ranau Kab. Oku Selatan Prov. Sumatera Selatan

Analysis of the Management of Water Sports Events as a Sports Tourism Destination in Lake Rana, South Oku Regency, South Sumatra Province. The focus of research is to discuss the formulation of the problem and the purpose of this study are: a) To study and analyze how to plan the implementation process and evaluation of the implementation of water sports events in Lake Ranau District. South OKU, South Sumatra Province. b) To study and analyze how the implementation of water sports events in the District. South OKU, South Sumatra Province. c) provide an alternative strategic policy that can be done to optimize the planning process to the implementation of water sports events in the Regency. South OKU, South Sumatra Province. With data collection techniques used are observation, interviews, and questionnaires. The data analysis model used is the SWOT analysis method (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats). This study population transferred 30 people consisting of the community and the organization in the Lake Ranau area. This research is expected to offer alternative strategies for optimizing, planning and implementing water sports events.

Can primary health care mitigate the effects of economic crises on child health in Latin America? An integrated multicountry evaluation and forecasting analysis

Latin American and Caribbean countries are dealing with the combined challenges of pandemic-induced socicoeconomic stress and increasing public debt, potentially leading to reductions in welfare and health-care services, including primary care. We aimed to evaluate the impact of primary health-care coverage on child mortality in Latin America over the past two decades and to forecast the potential effects of primary health-care mitigation during the current economic crisis. This multicountry study integrated retrospective impact evaluations in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico from 2000 to 2019 with forecasting models covering up to 2030. We estimated the impact of coverage of primary health care on mortality rates in children younger than 5 years (hereafter referred to as under-5 mortality) across different age groups and causes of death, adjusting for all relevant demographic, socioeconomic, and health-care factors, with fixed-effects multivariable negative binomial models in 5647 municipalities with an adequate quality of vital statistics. We also performed several sensitivity and triangulation analyses. We integrated previous longitudinal datasets with validated dynamic microsimulation models and projected trends in under-5 mortality rates under alternative policy response scenarios until 2030. High primary health-care coverage was associated with substantial reductions in post-neonatal mortality rates (rate ratio [RR] 0·72, 95% CI 0·71-0·74), toddler (ie, aged between 1 year and <5 years) mortality rates (0·75, 0·73-0·76), and under-5 mortality rates (0·81, 0·80-0·82), preventing 305 890 (95% CI 251 826-360 517) deaths of children younger than 5 years over the period 2000-19. High primary health-care coverage was also associated with lower under-5 mortality rates from nutritional deficiencies (RR 0·55, 95% CI 0·52-0·58), anaemia (0·64, 0·57-0·72), vaccine-preventable and vaccine-sensitive conditions (0·70, 0·68-0·72), and infectious gastroenteritis (0·78, 0·73-0·84). Considering a scenario of moderate economic crisis, a mitigation response strategy implemented in the period 2020-30 that increases primary health-care coverage could reduce the under-5 mortality rate by up to 23% (RR 0·77, 95% CI 0·72-0·84) when compared with a fiscal austerity response, and this strategy would avoid 142 285 (95% CI 120 217-164 378) child deaths by 2030 in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico. The improvement in primary health-care coverage in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico over the past two decades has substantially contributed to improving child survival. Expansion of primary health-care coverage should be considered an effective strategy to mitigate the health effects of the current economic crisis and to achieve Sustainable Development Goals related to child health. UK Medical Research Council. For the Spanish and Portuguese translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

노인 에너지 빈곤과 새로운 정책 대안: 노인과 전문가 심층 인터뷰를 중심으로

노인 에너지 빈곤과 새로운 정책 대안: 노인과 전문가 심층 인터뷰를 중심으로

A New Neoliberal Offensive in South Korea: The Conservative Politics of Rollback and the Disciplining of Organized Labor

ABSTRACT This study explores a series of actions undertaken by South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol to prohibit and reshape customary activities in labor unions. It terms this neoliberal offensive a form of disciplining and explains what has motivated the Yoon administration to adopt this method against organized labor. This policy is associated with South Korean conservatives’ strong impulse to roll back former President Moon Jae-in’s progressive legacy by pushing neoliberalism to its limits. This argument is grounded in Karl Polanyi’s illustration of the Speenhamland episode, in which English liberals’ struggle against the Speenhamland system generated the creeds of the self-regulating market and social disciplines. South Korean conservatives prioritize reversing progressive political initiatives because they have been unable to devise alternative policies due to their constrained institutional capacity. They have dismissed the pro-labor policies of the Moon administration as misguided interventionism. The Yoon administration has alleged that labor unions are the support base of the Moon administration and has implemented three disciplinary measures against them: decontextualization, stigmatization, and requirements for increased transparency. This study shows that neoliberalism shifts the locus of class conflict from workplaces to how workers shape their lifestyles and identities.

Reducing overdose deaths among persons with opioid use disorder in connecticut

BackgroundPeople in Connecticut are now more likely to die of a drug-related overdose than a traffic accident. While Connecticut has had some success in slowing the rise in overdose death rates, substantial additional progress is necessary.MethodsWe developed, verified, and calibrated a mechanistic simulation of alternative overdose prevention policy options, including scaling up naloxone (NLX) distribution in the community and medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) among people who are incarcerated (MOUD-INC) and in the community (MOUD-COM) in a simulated cohort of people with OUD in Connecticut. We estimated how maximally scaling up each option individually and in combinations would impact 5-year overdose deaths, life-years, and quality-adjusted life-years. All costs were assessed in 2021 USD, employing a health sector perspective in base-case analyses and a societal perspective in sensitivity analyses, using a 3% discount rate and 5-year and lifetime time horizons.ResultsMaximally scaling NLX alone reduces overdose deaths 20% in the next 5 years at a favorable incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER); if injectable rather than intranasal NLX was distributed, 240 additional overdose deaths could be prevented. Maximally scaling MOUD-COM and MOUD-INC alone reduce overdose deaths by 14% and 6% respectively at favorable ICERS. Considering all permutations of scaling up policies, scaling NLX and MOUD-COM together is the cost-effective choice, reducing overdose deaths 32% at ICER $19,000/QALY. In sensitivity analyses using a societal perspective, all policy options were cost saving and overdose deaths reduced 33% over 5 years while saving society $338,000 per capita over the simulated cohort lifetime.ConclusionsMaximally scaling access to naloxone and MOUD in the community can reduce 5-year overdose deaths by 32% among people with OUD in Connecticut under realistic budget scenarios. If societal cost savings due to increased productivity and reduced crime costs are considered, one-third of overdose deaths can be reduced by maximally scaling all three policy options, while saving money.

Urbanization, Legacies of Elite Capture, and Multi-Dimensional Exclusions in Ghana: Towards Just Housing and Neighborhood Policies in African Cities

AbstractPersisting housing challenges in Africa’s cities are often theorized as driven by rapid demographic expansion outstripping housing supply or by the urbanization of poverty which puts the cost of adequate and serviced housing beyond the reach of many urban dwellers. This theorization links the problem of inadequate supply and low quality of housing to ahistorical, apolitical factors such as the size and income/poverty characteristics of Africa’s urban population and ignores legacies of elite capture and multi-dimensional exclusions reflected in policies and practices. Yet these policies and practices shape urban governance and who gains access to land, housing finance and ultimately serviced housing and neighborhoods. Drawing on a review of policies, media sources and literature on housing in Ghana and taking a critical postcolonial institutional theoretic approach, we argue that a more complete conceptualization of Africa’s urban housing crises should involve a close look at the regressive historical patterns of urban investments and persisting elite biases in institutions managing land, finance and housing. This re-framing of housing problems creates a more holistic framework and better articulates the unjust foundations of regressive and exclusionary policies and practices. Further, it highlights elite capture and multi-dimensional exclusions that perpetuate current housing and service failure in African cities. An explicit focus on power, exclusion and injustice is necessary to formulate and advocate alternative policies that are more likely to produce inclusive livable housing and neighborhoods. These include moratoriums on evictions, expanded slum upgrading, progressive property and land taxation, more inclusive planning systems, better regulation of rental housing and improved delivery of land and finance for transit oriented affordable public and rental housing.

Perumusan Masalah Kebijakan, Alternatif Kebijakan, dan Rekomendasi Kebijakan dalam Mempengaruhi Perkembangan Kurikulum Pendidikan

The curriculum is a central element in the education system that plays an important role in determining the direction and goals of education. A quality and relevant curriculum is the key to producing young people who are competent and able to answer future challenges. In an ever-evolving global context, the dynamics of change and demands on education systems are increasingly complex. This encourages the need for continuous curriculum adjustment and development. Effective curriculum development cannot be done in isolation from education policy. The right education policy is the foundation for the formulation of a quality and future-oriented curriculum. This study aims to provide input and enrich understanding of the systematics of policy problem formulation, policy alternatives and policy recommendations in influencing the development of the educational curriculum and assisting education stakeholders in the process of developing an educational curriculum. This research is qualitative research using literature study methods or literature research. The formulation of policy problems, policy alternatives, and policy recommendations are three important elements that are interrelated and have a significant influence on policy making. Public policies are detailed so as to be able to find which things are important in making decisions. Education policy is a part of public policy that is closely related and influences each other.

Evaluating social protection mitigation effects on HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis through a mathematical modelling study

The global economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine, and worldwide inflation surge may have a profound impact on poverty-related infectious diseases, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this work, we developed mathematical models for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) in Brazil, one of the largest and most unequal LMICs, incorporating poverty rates and temporal dynamics to evaluate and forecast the impact of the increase in poverty due to the economic crisis, and estimate the mitigation effects of alternative poverty-reduction policies on the incidence and mortality from AIDS and TB up to 2030. Three main intervention scenarios were simulated—an economic crisis followed by the implementation of social protection policies with none, moderate, or strong coverage—evaluating the incidence and mortality from AIDS and TB. Without social protection policies to mitigate the impact of the economic crisis, the burden of HIV/AIDS and TB would be significantly larger over the next decade, being responsible in 2030 for an incidence 13% (95% CI 4–31%) and mortality 21% (95% CI 12–34%) higher for HIV/AIDS, and an incidence 16% (95% CI 10–25%) and mortality 22% (95% CI 15–31%) higher for TB, if compared with a scenario of moderate social protection. These differences would be significantly larger if compared with a scenario of strong social protection, resulting in more than 230,000 cases and 34,000 deaths from AIDS and TB averted over the next decade in Brazil. Using a comprehensive approach, that integrated economic forecasting with mathematical and epidemiological models, we were able to show the importance of implementing robust social protection policies to avert a significant increase in incidence and mortality from AIDS and TB during the current global economic downturn.

Analisis Pengambilan Keputusan Pemerintah Kabupaten Sidoarjo untuk Melakukan Pembangunan Flyover Aloha

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of activity and high mobility of society, Sidoarjo Regency, East Java, is faced with a crucial problem, namely traffic jams. Significant traffic congestion in the Sidoarjo area, which affects transportation efficiency and road user safety. This research uses qualitative research methods with literature studies, to investigate and analyze traffic congestion problems in the Sidoarjo area and to explore solutions that can be implemented to overcome these problems. The result is an evaluation of alternative policies to overcome traffic jams on Jalan Raya Aloha Sidoarjo. This research uses the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to determine the most appropriate alternative policy to overcome this problem. The results of this research are about why the Aloha flyover is the most appropriate policy to overcome the problem of congestion on Jalan Raya Aloha. The decision to choose the flyover construction policy was because the policy met the criteria for overcoming congestion, namely reducing congestion, budget, quality and safety, ease of use and long-term benefits.

Challenging the policy space: The legitimation of alternatives in Chilean pension policy (1980–2019)

AbstractIn October 2019, Chile experienced its most significant cycle of protests since the return to democracy in 1990; one of the primary demands of this cycle was the improvement of pensions. What effect did the October upheaval have on the Chilean pension policy debate? How have ideas about the Chilean pension plan changed from its creation in 1981−2019? What are the main drivers of these changes? In this study, we propose the concept of policy space, which we define as the realm of ideas wherein public policies are debated and whose boundaries are determined by the legitimacy of ideas from relevant actors. We use a process‐tracing approach based on qualitative data triangulation from several techniques including in‐depth interviews, press analysis, and secondary document review. The findings indicate that the shift in the ideas related to pension policy is explained by two drivers—long‐term linkage among actors and short‐term social mobilization against the private pension system, which accelerated rapidly with the October 2019 protests.

Uncertainty shocks and monetary policy rules in a small open economy

Abstract Post the great financial crisis (GFC) of 2008–2009, there has been a surge in the macroeconomics literature on aggregate uncertainty. Although the recent literature has recognized the adverse real effects of global uncertainty shocks in emerging market economies (EMEs), the role of monetary policy in offsetting these adverse effects and their link with the exchange rates is not explored in the literature. We find that the currently followed interest rate rules (IRRs) under a flexible inflation-targeting regime are ineffective in stabilizing the domestic economy during periods of high global uncertainty in the EMEs. Using a small open economy new Keynesian DSGE model with Epstein–Zin preferences and second-moment demand shocks, we compare and propose alternate monetary policy rules that significantly reduce welfare losses. We find that the best monetary policy rule in terms of welfare depends on the nature of shock that is, first-moment or second-moment shock.

Urban green open space in developing countries: Indonesia regulations, problems and alternative solutions

PurposeThis paper aims to work toward a new approach in providing green open spaces in the middle of urban land in Indonesia that has been densely built up and on it has attached land rights. An approach is needed through a specific spatial policy that contains zoning regulations for the provision of public green open spaces on top of residential houses built on the green zoning plans.Design/methodology/approachThis approach considers an interconnected ecological holistic approach, as previously existing regulations have not normatively identified the green open space as an ecological landscape consisting of blue open spaces and several objects that function as green open spaces.FindingsIndonesia in terms of green open space for local climate instrument is still identified as one of the three lowest countries in Southeast Asia in the number of green open space areas. We found that the regulating process of development rights and property rights, in the construction of Indonesian law, still requires many alternative efforts to this day in providing urban green open spaces. The delivery of desired outcomes depends on the alternative policy as a form of legal politics in compensating planning and community interests through developing green open spaces in an ecoregion approach.Originality/valueThis writing was shaped by the understandings of the author with regards to the development of urban green open space regulating issues in Indonesia as one of the emerging country group in Asia and Jakarta as the second-most populous urban area in the world. This paper aims to work toward providing green urban open spaces in Indonesia that has been densely built up and on it has attached land rights, through a specific spatial policy that contains zoning regulations for the provision of public green open spaces on top of residential houses built on the green zoning plans.

Agrarian Distress in Indian Punjab: A Public Policy Paralysis

The drift towards resource-intensive, high-yield crop-based cultivation in the early 1960s, widely called the Green Revolution, has led to ecologically unviable cropping patterns with adverse monetary fallouts in Punjab, which had once earned the sobriquet, the Granary of India. Since price and availability are the basis of competition, farmers are not sufficiently incentivised to address the vital issue of the decline in natural resources. As a result, securing food and nutrition while conserving the environment is challenging. So is mobilising diverse and apposite stakeholders whose perspective is vital to move ahead sustainably. The vital issue is considering the likely impact of input incentives, output support or restraints, technical backing, and financial aid on agricultural outcomes that vary across contexts and crops. This decision-based case introduces the participants to real-life socio-economic and ecological challenges, which they can relate with any other agriculture-based economy. The highlight of the case is the way the problem is anticipated to be viewed by different stakeholder groups and the conflicting policy options supporting conventional vis-à-vis organic farming. It is also interesting to review the conditions under which the proposed solution is most robust. Such a review would likely sensitise participants to how a change in perspectives can impact the suitability of alternative policy options.

Projection Forecasting Policy of Buton Asphalted Mining Management in Indonesia

Asphalt, which is the result of lubricating coal minerals (non-renewable), requires effective management from the government which is realized through rational policies. Efficient policy planning is needed to overcome policy problems without causing major consequences. This research aims to develop selected policy alternatives through selecting alternative policies for managing Buton asphalt mines in Buton Regency. The focus of this research is public policy analysis, namely methods for identifying problems, determining goals, evaluating alternative options, selecting alternatives, and measuring policy performance. This research, only focusing on the best alternative for management policies for the Buton asphalt mine in Kab. Buton. This research aims to analyze and identify: selected policy alternatives to be recommended in the management of asphalt mines in Kab. Buton. The approach used is mixed method. In problem formulation, using descriptive qualitative, to project policy alternatives using public policy analysis techniques through three stages (I), problem formulation techniques (hierarchy), developing into the Projection Forecasting method (extrapolative), ending with alternative selection based on Franklin's criteria. Alternative method looks at the consequences of each policy are equivalent to scoring based on technical, economic, financial and administrative feasibility. The research results show that there are three alternatives developed based on projection forecasting (extrapolative) assessments, namely: structuring institutional authority in asphalt mining management (2.36), strengthening Buton asphalt policy as a leading sector in Buton Regency (2.82), consistency policy in the preparation of Buton asphalt mine management policies (3.18). The selection of consistent alternatives for developing Buton asphalt mine management policies is the most prominent and has a fairly high probability of success and can be carried out. Where policy consistency through social mapping and domestic policy obligations increasing a larger portion for optimal domestic use (distribution to regions for use of State roads) can encourage the use of Buton asphalt nationally. If this condition continues, economic growth can continue. Alternative consistency in preparing Buton asphalt mine management policies in making Buton asphalt mine management policies is the best alternative choice for Buton asphalt mine management policies in Buton Regency.

Analysis Of The Implementation And Implications Of OECD/G20 Pillar One On The Taxation System In Indonesia

One of the efforts taken by member countries of OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework for BEPS is to capture tax revenue from the digital economy is called Pillar One: Unified Approach specifically Amount A. This research aims to obtain information on the progress and obstacles on the implementation of Pillar One in Indonesia, including the impact generated by Pillar One as well as understand policy alternatives that could potentially become replacement for Pillar One. The method used in this research is qualitative with a case study approach. The results obtained in this study show that currently Pillar One cannot be implemented because it encounters various obstacles and is related to other jurisdictions. If Pillar One has been implemented, the implications are additional tax revenue potential but relatively low, adjustment on policy, tax administration systems, IT systems and human resources. Pillar One, which has the potential to be canceled, raises alternative policies that can be implemented by Indonesia such as Digital service tax, Article 12B UN Model Convention and new PE criteria namely Significant Economic Presence. The government must reconsider the cost and benefit on implementation of Pillar One. The government must also prepare and compile alternative policies and supporting aspects such as IT system development due to the potential failure of the Pillar One implementation.

Learning Crowd Motion Dynamics with Crowds

Reinforcement Learning (RL) has become a popular framework for learning desired behaviors for computational agents in graphics and games. In a multi-agent crowd, one major goal is for agents to avoid collisions while navigating in a dynamic environment. Another goal is to simulate natural-looking crowds, which is difficult to define due to the ambiguity as to what is a natural crowd motion. We introduce a novel methodology for simulating crowds, which learns most-preferred crowd simulation behaviors from crowd-sourced votes via Bayesian optimization. Our method uses deep reinforcement learning for simulating crowds, where crowdsourcing is used to select policy hyper-parameters. Training agents with such parameters results in a crowd simulation that is preferred to users. We demonstrate our method's robustness in multiple scenarios and metrics, where we show it is superior compared to alternate policies and prior work.

THE IMPACT OF ALTERNATIVE MONETARY POLICY INSTRUMENTS ON ELECTRONIC PAYMENT CARDS (2017-2023)

The current study aimed to show the extent of the impact of independent variables on alternative monetary policy tools in electronic payment cards, as the problem of the study was whether the alternative monetary policy tools of the Central Bank of Iraq contribute to enhancing dealing with electronic payment cards, as the variables were analyzed financially for the period (2017-2023 )annually and then using the statistical program SPSS V 26 to test hypotheses according to the standard multiple linear regression model that was suitable for this study. The study showed a set of conclusions, including a statistically significant impact relationship of alternative monetary policy instruments in electronic payment cards. The study recommended promoting alternative monetary policy tools to achieve significant economic benefits by investing in infrastructure, enhancing awareness, and improving regulatory frameworks.

The Impact of Implementing a Carbon Tax on Welfare: Case Study of Indonesia and The Other ASEAN Member Countries

Green House Gases emitted into the atmosphere over decades cause global warming now. The aim of this research is the impact of implementing the carbon tax on welfare in Indonesia. The research method used is the CGE method using GTAP-E to evaluate energy policy in the economy. GTAP-E consists of 140 countries and 57 sectors combined into forty-two regions and eight sectors. Using carbon tax scenario (simulation 1 is 1.93 USD/ton CO 2, simulation 2 is 3.72 USD/ton CO 2, and simulation 3 is 4.83 USD/ton CO 2). The results of the Indonesian equivalent variation show a negative value. The higher the carbon tax is applied, the greater the decline in welfare. This is also felt by all research countries except the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Oceania, OtherSEAsia, East Asia, Argentina, Japan, Poland, Portugal, and Ukraine. The variable of the regional demand, it can be seen that the carbon tax causes Indonesia's regional income to increase, and Singapore's income to decrease, while other countries experience no change in income. The primary factor return ratio also shows that the increase in the carbon tax caused a decline in the Land, Unsklab, Sklab, Capital, and Natural Resources sectors. Indonesia's GDP also shows a decrease if a higher carbon tax is implemented, but other countries have no impact on GDP. The Carbon emissions show that it decreases to Indonesia. So, the implementation of the carbon tax causes a decrease in welfare as seen from the equivalent variation, Primary Return Ratio, and GDP in Indonesia. The government must have an alternative policy if a carbon tax is implemented in Indonesia.

Environmental taxation of plastic bags and substitutes: Balancing marine pollution and climate change

Several countries have imposed either a ban or a tax on single-use plastic packaging, motivated by their contribution to marine plastic pollution. This may lead consumers to opt for similar unregulated substitutes, potentially undermining or even counteracting the intended effect of the policy instrument. The purpose of this study is to theoretically and empirically compare the environmental and welfare effects of the first-best Pigouvian taxes on both plastic bags and a substitute (paper bags), with two alternative second-best policy instruments: a tax on plastic products alone, and a common uniform tax on all packaging materials. The empirical analysis accounts for two different types of environmental externalities from the use of both bag types: marine pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It also compares results for two countries, Denmark and the USA, which differ in the demand for plastic and paper bags. The theoretical analysis shows that a unilateral tax on plastic bags should equal the marginal environmental damage of plastic bags minus a fraction of the marginal environmental cost of paper bags, hence being lower than the Pigouvian tax. The optimal common tax should equal a weighted average of the marginal environmental damage of the two bag types and would be lower than the Pigouvian tax on plastics if the marginal external cost of plastic bags exceeds that for paper bags. The empirical analysis shows that for default parameters, the variation in tax level across the studied scenarios is small. It also shows that if Pigouvian taxes cannot be implemented, a common uniform tax on both bag types would result in a higher welfare gain than a tax on plastic bags alone. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the level of the second-best taxes and their associated environmental and welfare impacts are sensitive to assumptions regarding the littering rate and decay rate of plastic bags in the marine environment.