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Private provision of public goods by environmental groups

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Grant

    (Robert Day School of Economics and Finance, Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA 91711)

  • Christian Langpap

    (Department of Applied Economics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331)

Abstract

Many environmental nonprofit groups are assumed to provide public goods. While an extensive literature examines why donors join and give to nonprofits, none directly tests whether donations actually provide public goods. We seek such a test by using a common form of environmental organization: watershed groups. We find their increased presence resulted in lower dissolved oxygen deficiency and higher proportions of swimmable and fishable water bodies. Increased donations to and expenditures by the groups also improved water quality. Thus, private groups likely played a role in mitigating environmental problems. Overall, our results indicate private provision of a public good by nonprofit organizations.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Grant & Christian Langpap, 2019. "Private provision of public goods by environmental groups," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 116(12), pages 5334-5340, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nas:journl:v:116:y:2019:p:5334-5340
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Melindi-Ghidi, Paolo & Dedeurwaerdere, Tom & Fabbri, Giorgio, 2020. "Using environmental knowledge brokers to promote deep green agri-environment measures," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    2. Suzanne Kingston & Edwin Alblas & Mícheál Callaghan & Julie Foulon, 2021. "Magnetic law: Designing environmental enforcement laws to encourage us to go further," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(S1), pages 143-162, November.
    3. Peter Maniloff & Daniel T. Kaffine, 2020. "If you see (or smell) something, say something: Citizen complaints and regulation of oil and gas wells," Working Papers 2020-01, Colorado School of Mines, Division of Economics and Business.
    4. John M. Carroll & Fanlu Gui & Srishti Gupta & Tiffany Knearem, 2022. "Playful Meaning-Making as Prosocial Fun," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-13, September.
    5. Dupoux, Marion & Martinet, Vincent, 2022. "Could the environment be a normal good for you and an inferior good for me? A theory of context-dependent substitutability and needs," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    6. Lopamudra Chakraborti, 2020. "Effects of Water Quality Monitoring on Plant-Level Pollution: Evidence from the Clean Water Act," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 96(3), pages 349-365.
    7. Zach Raff & Andrew Meyer, 2022. "CAFOs and Surface Water Quality: Evidence from Wisconsin," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(1), pages 161-189, January.
    8. Tsur, Yacov, 2020. "Optimal water pricing: Accounting for environmental externalities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    9. Lopamudra Chakraborti, 2021. "Impact of upstream plant level pollution on downstream water quality: evidence from the clean water act," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 64(3), pages 517-535, February.

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