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Is Democracy Good for the Environment?

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  • Margrethe Winslow

Abstract

This paper presents empirical evidence to support the existence of a relationship between democracy and one aspect of environmental quality, urban air pollution. The relationship between environmental quality and democracy is explored empirically using a regression analysis of urban air concentrations of three pollutants, sulfur dioxide (SO2), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and smoke, and two measures of democracy, the Freedom House Index and Polity III. The results suggest a significant and robust negative linear relationship between these pollutant concentrations and democracy level: the higher the level of democracy, the lower the ambient pollution level.

Suggested Citation

  • Margrethe Winslow, 2005. "Is Democracy Good for the Environment?," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(5), pages 771-783.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jenpmg:v:48:y:2005:i:5:p:771-783
    DOI: 10.1080/09640560500183074
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    1. Shafik, Nemat & Bandyopadhyay, Sushenjit, 1992. "Economic growth and environmental quality : time series and cross-country evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 904, The World Bank.
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    Cited by:

    1. Batinti, Alberto & Costa-Font, Joan, 2022. "Does democracy make taller men? Cross-country European evidence," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    2. Yoori Kim & Soohyeon Kim & Jungho Baek & Eunnyeong Heo, 2019. "The linkages between democracy and the environment: Evidence from developed and developing countries," Energy & Environment, , vol. 30(5), pages 821-832, August.
    3. Ajanaku, B.A. & Collins, A.R., 2021. "Economic growth and deforestation in African countries: Is the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis applicable?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    4. Jennis J. BISER & Jeffrey A. EDWARDS, 2012. "Civil Liberties and Access to Water: Analysis of 193 Countries," Applied Econometrics and International Development, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 12(1).
    5. García Callejas, Danny, 2010. "Democracy and Environmental Quality in Latin America: A Panel System of Equations Approach, 1995-2008," Borradores Departamento de Economía 8102, Universidad de Antioquia, CIE.
    6. Acheampong, Alex O. & Opoku, Eric Evans Osei & Dzator, Janet, 2022. "Does democracy really improve environmental quality? Empirical contribution to the environmental politics debate," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    7. Michaela Vourvoulia & Athanasios Kampas, 2024. "Are democratic regime and the magnitude of the informal economy robust determinants of human impacts on the environment? An extreme bounds analysis," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(1), pages 611-629, March.
    8. Wang, Quan-Jing & Peng, Xin-Yu & Wang, Hai-Jie & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2023. "The diversity impact of democracy on forest protection: Global evidence," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    9. Brännlund Runar & Karimu Amin & Söderholm Patrik, 2017. "Convergence in carbon dioxide emissions and the role of growth and institutions: a parametric and non-parametric analysis," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 19(2), pages 359-390, April.
    10. Faqeer Muhammad & Anwar Khan & Jamal Hussain & Tasawar Baig & Saadia Baig, 2024. "Influence of Military Expenditures, Industrial Growth, and Financial Development on Economic Growth, and Environment in Heterogeneous Political Regimes in Pakistan," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 2439-2459, March.
    11. Ajanaku, Bolarinwa & Collins, Alan R., 2020. "Economic growth and deforestation in developing countries: Is the Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis Still Applicable? Evidence from a Panel of Selected African Countries," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304271, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    12. Tobias Angel & Alexandre Berthe & Valeria Costantini & Mariagrazia D’Angeli, 2024. "How the nature of inequality reduction matters for CO2 emissions," Working Papers 2024.14, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    13. Quan-Jing Wang & Yong Geng & Xi-Qiang Xia, 2021. "The Impact of Globalization on Forest Growth: Evidence from Multinational Panel Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-19, December.
    14. Joungseok Park, 2016. "How Democracy Matters: Evidence of Electoral Incentives for Environmental Policy," Working Papers 16-20, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University.
    15. Duarte, Rosa & Pinilla, Vicente & Serrano, Ana, 2013. "Is there an environmental Kuznets curve for water use? A panel smooth transition regression approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 518-527.
    16. Katarzyna Iwińska & Athanasios Kampas & Kerry Longhurst, 2019. "Interactions between Democracy and Environmental Quality: Toward a More Nuanced Understanding," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-17, March.
    17. Neslihan Ursavaş, 2022. "The Impact of Democracy on Environmental Degradation in OECD Countries," EKOIST Journal of Econometrics and Statistics, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 0(37), pages 213-235, December.
    18. Danny García Callejas, 2015. "Voting for the environment: the importance of Democracy and education in Latin America," Revista de Economía del Caribe 14782, Universidad del Norte.
    19. Yi-Bin Chiu, 2012. "Deforestation and the Environmental Kuznets Curve in Developing Countries: A Panel Smooth Transition Regression Approach," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 60(2), pages 177-194, June.
    20. Acheampong, Alex O. & Nghiem, Xuan-Hoa & Dzator, Janet & Rajaguru, Gulasekaran, 2023. "Promoting energy inclusiveness: Is rural energy poverty a political failure?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    21. Soohyeon Kim & Jungho Baek & Eunnyeong Heo, 2019. "A New Look at the Democracy–Environment Nexus: Evidence from Panel Data for High- and Low-Income Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-14, April.
    22. Fredriksson, Per G. & Neumayer, Eric, 2013. "Democracy and climate change policies: Is history important?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 11-19.
    23. Markowska Agnieszka, 2021. "State of Democracy in Poland versus Environmental Protection," Central European Economic Journal, Sciendo, vol. 8(55), pages 219-230, January.
    24. Hotte, Louis & Winer, Stanley L., 2012. "Environmental regulation and trade openness in the presence of private mitigation," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 46-57.
    25. Hang Su & Yong Geng & Xi-Qiang Xia & Quan-Jing Wang, 2022. "Economic Policy Uncertainty, Social Development, Political Regimes and Environmental Quality," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-15, February.

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