As Thomas Sterner points out, the economic 'toolkit' for dealing with environmental problems has become formidable. It includes taxes, charges, permits, deposit-refund systems, labeling, and other information disclosure mechanisms. Though not all these devices are widely used, empirical application has started within some sectors, and we are beginning to see the first systematic efforts at an advanced policy design that takes due account of market-based incentives. Sterner‘s book encourages more widespread and careful use of economic policy instruments. Intended primarily for application in developing and transitional countries, the book compares the accumulated experiences of the use of economic policy instruments in the U.S. and Europe, as well as in select rich and poor countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Ambitious in scope, the book discusses the design of instruments that can be employed in a wide range of contexts, including transportation, industrial pollution, water pricing, waste, fisheries, forests, and agriculture. Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management is deeply rooted in economics but also informed by perspectives drawn from political, legal, ecological, and psychological research. Sterner notes that, in addition to meeting requirements for efficiency, the selection and design of policy instruments must satisfy criteria involving equity and political acceptability. He is careful to distinguish between the well-designed plans of policymakers and the resulting behavior of society. A copublication of Resources for the Future, the World Bank, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

As the world’s population continues to grow and economic conditions continue to improve, more solid and liquid waste is being generated by society. Improper disposal methods can not only lead to harmful environmental impacts but can also negatively affect human health. To prevent further harm to the world’s ecosystems, there is a dire need for sustainable waste management practices that will safeguard the environment for future generations. Waste Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a vital reference source that examines the management of different types of wastes and provides relevant theoretical frameworks about new waste management technologies for the control of air, water, and soil pollution. Highlighting a range of topics such as contaminant removal, landfill treatment, and recycling, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for environmental engineers, waste authorities, solid waste management companies, landfill operators, legislators, environmentalists, policymakers, government officials, academicians, researchers, and students.

This book contains a collection of papers on economic incentives and environmental policies which result from the authors' joint research work in the program `Environment, Science and Society', conducted under the auspices of the European Science Foundation, with whose cooperation the book has been published. The work concentrates on the scientific and methodological aspects of the development, implementation and evaluation of economic instruments at a national level. The research is both theoretical and empirical. At a theoretical level attention is given to the dynamics of instrument choice in various political and economic contexts, and to the means for evaluating economic instruments in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency. At an empirical level the research seeks to investigate the performance of economic instruments in reality and to explore options for new approaches on the interface between technology, economy and the environment. A subject index complements this first volume in the ESF `Environment, Science and Society' series.

This volume presents the results of a three-year collaborative effort involving research institutions in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Case studies demonstrate the diversity of environmental problems to which a variety of economic instruments can be applied - air and water pollution, packaging, deforestation, over-grazing, wildlife. They also show what is needed for them to work successfully and the pitfalls to avoid in introducing them, providing guidance for future applications. Written to be accessible to non-economists, the book offers source material for students and academic economists, as well as for professionals working with economic instruments.

"This volume brings together contributions from political scientists and environmental economists and will prove invaluable for academics, practitioners and policymakers interested in the experiences of countries where market-based instruments are well established."--BOOK JACKET.