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Quantifying the Effect of Macroeconomic and Social Factors on Illegal E-Waste Trade

Author

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  • Loukia Efthymiou

    (Business and Environmental Technology Economics Lab, Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Vas. Sofias 12, Xanthi 67100, Greece)

  • Amaryllis Mavragani

    (Business and Environmental Technology Economics Lab, Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Vas. Sofias 12, Xanthi 67100, Greece)

  • Konstantinos P. Tsagarakis

    (Business and Environmental Technology Economics Lab, Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Vas. Sofias 12, Xanthi 67100, Greece)

Abstract

As illegal e-waste trade has been significantly growing over the course of the last few years, the consequences on human health and the environment demand immediate action on the part of the global community. Though it is argued that e-waste flows from developed to developing countries, this subject seems to be more complex than that, with a variety of studies suggesting that income per capita is not the only factor affecting the choice of regions that e-waste is illegally shipped to. How is a country’s economic and social development associated with illegal e-waste trade? Is legislation an important factor? This paper aims at quantifying macroeconomic (per capita income and openness of economy) and social (human development and social progress) aspects, based on qualitative data on illegal e-waste trade routes, by examining the percentage differences in scorings in selected indicators for all known and suspected routes. The results show that illegal e-waste trade occurs from economically and socially developed regions to countries with significantly lower levels of overall development, with few exceptions, which could be attributed to the fact that several countries have loose regulations on e-waste trade, thus deeming them attractive for potential illegal activities.

Suggested Citation

  • Loukia Efthymiou & Amaryllis Mavragani & Konstantinos P. Tsagarakis, 2016. "Quantifying the Effect of Macroeconomic and Social Factors on Illegal E-Waste Trade," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-13, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2016:i:8:p:789-:d:75411
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Panambunan-Ferse, Meity & Breiter, Andreas, 2013. "Assessing the side-effects of ICT development: E-waste production and management," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 223-231.
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    Cited by:

    1. Neves, Sónia Almeida & Marques, António Cardoso & de Sá Lopes, Leonardo Batista, 2024. "Is environmental regulation keeping e-waste under control? Evidence from e-waste exports in the European Union," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    2. Sigrid Kusch & Colin D. Hills, 2017. "The Link between e-Waste and GDP—New Insights from Data from the Pan-European Region," Resources, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-10, March.

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