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Testing the effects of self-regulation on industrial accidents

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  • Stephen Finger
  • Shanti Gamper-Rabindran

Abstract

Our study, the first to test the impact of self-regulation on industrial accidents, examines Responsible Care (RC) in the US chemical manufacturing sector. RC requires members to adhere to codes of conduct on production safety and pollution prevention. Using our author-constructed database of 1,867 firms that own 2,963 plants between 1988 and 2001, we instrument for firms’ self-selection into RC using pollution-related regulatory pressure on firms that influences their probability of joining RC, but not plant-level accidents. We find that participation in RC reduces the likelihood of accidents by 2.99 accidents per 100 plants in a given year, or by 69.3%. Participation in RC also reduces the likelihood of process safety accidents and accidents related to violations of RC codes by 5.75 accidents per 100 plants in a given year, or by 85.9%. Alternatively, estimates using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) methods indicate that participation in RC reduces the likelihood of accidents by 0.66 accidents per 100 plants in a given year. The reduction in the likelihood of accidents, due to participation in RC, contributes to economically significant averted losses, with savings, even based on the smaller PSM estimates, totaling $180 million per year. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen Finger & Shanti Gamper-Rabindran, 2013. "Testing the effects of self-regulation on industrial accidents," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 115-146, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:regeco:v:43:y:2013:i:2:p:115-146
    DOI: 10.1007/s11149-012-9201-8
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    Cited by:

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    2. Jin, Youliang & Wang, Shujuan & Cheng, Xu & Zeng, Huixiang, 2024. "Can environmental tax reform curb corporate environmental violations? A quasi-natural experiment based on China's “environmental fees to taxes”," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    3. Huan Li & Neha Khanna & Martina Vidovic, 2018. "The effects of third party certification on voluntary self-regulation of accidents in the U.S. chemical industry," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 327-356, June.
    4. Li, Huan & Khanna, Neha, 2016. "Does Voluntary Regulation Provide Regulatory Relief? A Lesson from the Responsible Care Program," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235652, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Li, Huan & Khanna, Neha & Vidovic, Martina, 2014. "Third Party Certification and Self-Regulation: Evidence from Responsible Care and Accidents in the US Chemical Industry," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170492, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate social responsibility; Industry self-regulation; Industrial accidents; Environmental and health safety; Chemical industry; Q53; Q58; L51; L65; D21;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • L65 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Chemicals; Rubber; Drugs; Biotechnology; Plastics
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory

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