The number of undergraduate-level textbooks on environmental economics has increased in recent years, but the textbook treatment of optimal emissions (abatement) varies markedly from textbook to textbook. In particular, there is no consensus as to whether to model the economic “bad” (i.e....

This study examines the determinants of state labor productivity during the 1989 to 2000 period. Using the model developed by Carlino and Voith (1992), we estimate how state cha-racteristics such as population density, education, industrial structure, and business amenities (such as crime...

Recent energy price increases have revitalized interest in energy's impact on state economies. Moreover, lackluster economic growth in most states prompted some to suspend gas tax collections to stimulate economic activity. Given such interest, surprisingly few studies have quantified the effect...

In this paper we construct a ranking of states based on their proclivity to inspect facilities for environmental compliance. Our measure utilizes state-level inspections data supplied by the US Environmental Protection Agency. After developing our ranking, we use it to predict state-level growth...

Many studies show that inspections (or the threat there of) promote compliance with environmental law. Therefore, it is important to understand what influences inspections. Existing research tends to focus on plant characteristics when explaining inspections, often reporting conflicting results....