Don Coursey and Christopher
Hartwell
During the past 30 years, the sharp rise in environmental
awareness has led to many diverse regional, national and international
laws and policies designed to improve environmental quality. As a result,
today the environment is healthier in some parts of the world than in
others, and researchers are interested in the economic and political
powers responsible for this disparity. In Environmental
and Public Health Outcomes: An International and Historic Comparison,
University of Chicago Harris School Professor Don Coursey and Reason
Public Policy Institute Policy Analyst Christopher Hartwell conducted
a historical examination of the public health and environmental outcomes
of 130 countries between 1960 and 1992. Using this data, they explored
the link between economic freedom and environmental quality and found,
on average, that countries with repressive governments tend to have poorer
environmental conditions and worse public health. The researchers conclude
that domestic or international policies that lead to stronger economies
and greater political freedoms will generate a healthier package of environmental
and public health benefits.
Key Findings
Coursey and Hartwell found that countries providing
fewer economic and political freedoms consistently produced higher levels
of pollutants and exhibited signs of poorer public health. For example,
such countries tend to have higher levels of carbon dioxide, higher rates
of infant mortality and lower life expectancy. The researchers conclude
that democratic societies are able to respond to their citizens' preferences
for a clean environment more readily than authoritarian or totalitarian
regimes. They find that the data also suggests difficulty in carrying
out environmental improvements in a society with weak property rights
and a high threat of government intervention.
Coursey and Hartwell stress that domestic and international
policies that lead to stronger economies and increased societal
freedoms tend to result in improved environments and better
public health. In addition, the researchers use this fundamental
finding to support economic treaties and global trade initiatives
- such as NAFTA, GATT, and the WTO - which other researchers
have opposed on environmental grounds.
Using multiple indicators of environmental
cleanliness and progress, the researchers discover an interesting
correlation between higher income and educational levels
and healthy environments. One exception to this trend is
in energy consumption patterns, where higher incomes and
education levels create a increased demand for energy resources,
and thus raise levels of environmental pollution. However,
the researchers also found that higher income and education
levels can lead to more efficient consumption of natural
resources, even as those resources are in greater demand.
For example, countries with higher education levels tend
to have cleaner energy production, in addition to increased
agricultural productivity and higher rates of metal usage.
One surprising finding is the consistent
improvement of worldwide environmental quality during the
last 30 years. Researchers could not determine whether the
upward trend in environmental health was a due to increased
environmental awareness or due to the free exchange of ideas
resulting from new information technology, or a combination
thereof. Coursey and Hartwell suggest further analysis into
the interaction between wealth and intellectual freedom and
encourage research on the ways in which a freer society can
encourage environmental health.
Background
Over the past 30 years a variety of theories and models
have been proposed to explain the rise of the environmental
movement and the increased desire - on the part of both citizens
and governments - for improvements in environmental quality.
Six leading theories try to explain this rise in environmental
consciousness: (1) Consciousness has risen because individuals
are becoming more exposed to, and aware of, nature and the
environment; (2) Consciousness has risen as a result of specific,
usually negative, events, such as oil tanker spills; (3)
Consciousness has risen due to the accumulation and dissemination
of scientific information about the environment; (4) Consciousness
has risen because changes in religion and ethics led to the
development of environment movements around the world; i.e.
religious bias against nature was replaced by environmental-appreciation;
(5) Consciousness has risen following a series of factors,
such as consumerism, animal rights issues, and skepticism
regarding the ability of science to improve the quality of
life.
A final, sixth set of models used to explain the rise in
environmental consciousness is rooted in the field of political
economy. In this model, microeconomic and econometric techniques
are utilized to examine how economic growth and environmental
factors are linked. Most of these empirical analyses suggest
that as a country's economy grows, many of its environmental
problems decline. These models further suggest that there
are thresholds to solving environmental problems (i.e., below
certain income levels economic growth may worsen environmental
problems, but once income thresholds are reached, a country's
economic and political forces are marshaled in a manner that
reduces the magnitude of environmental problems).
Methodology
The bulk of the data examined in this paper came from the
World Bank's World Development Indications (WDI) and includes
data for 130 countries from 1960-1992. Other sources for
compiling cross-country, time series data included the U.S.
Bureau of the Census International Database, the Penn World
Tables and the International Historical Statistics (IHS).
Researchers compiled 13 dependent variables, such as Carbon
Dioxide Per Capita and Electricity Use Per Capita; and 5
independent variables, such as Income Per Capita and Population
Density. Each of the dependent variables was regressed against
each of the independent variables.
This paper was prepared for the conference "Regulation
of Managed Care Organizations and Its Impact on the Physician-Patient
Relationship," held at the University of Chicago Law School,
December 8-9, 2000. A revised version is scheduled to be published
in the Journal of Legal Studies in early 2002. Download a copy of
this study here.
Research Summaries are designed to help
broaden the dissemination of current policy-relevant research. These Summaries
are funded by the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies
at the University of Chicago.
For more information, contact Jamie Rosman at HarrisSchool@uchicago.edu or
(773) 702.2287.
