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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010229328 | HD30.255 P73 2006 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
Can businesses voluntarily adopt progressive environmental policies? Most environmental regulations are based on the assumption that the pursuit of profit leads firms to pollute the environment, and therefore governments must impose mandatory regulations. However, new instruments such as voluntary programs are increasingly important. Drawing on the economic theory of club goods, this book offers a theoretical account of voluntary environmental programs by identifying the institutional features that influence conditions under which programs can be effective. By linking program efficacy to club design, it focuses attention on collective action challenges faced by green clubs. Several analytic techniques are used to investigate the adoption and efficacy of ISO 14001, the most widely recognized voluntary environmental program in the world. These analyses show that, while the value of ISO 14001's brand reputation varies across policy and economic contexts, on average ISO 14001 members pollute less and comply better with governmental regulations.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
This is a unique study of self-regulation. The authors set out to discern whether ISO 14001, "the most widely adopted voluntary environmental program in the world today," effectively induces companies to conform to best environmental practices without costly, intrusive command and control policy. The acronym stands for International Standards Organization, and 14001 is one of several standards for measuring environmental impact currently in use. The authors employ a sophisticated research design to adduce the effectiveness of ISO in achieving compliance based on "club" theory--an attempt to explain the motives for collaboration among firms or other entities that, in principle, have little reason to collaborate other than acting in concert to thwart competition. The authors conclude that ISO seems to reduce levels of pollution and increase stewardship because it utilizes market incentives to reward behavior, encourages transparency in interactions, and promotes collaboration. They also assess how widely ISO has been adopted and the motives and expectations of regulators and business officials. Given the complexity of the economics-dependent framework they utilize, the book would be most effectively used in the classroom if supplemented by a broader text. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. D. L. Feldman University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Table of Contents
| Tables |
| Figures |
| List of appendices |
| Preface |
| 1 Introduction |
| 2 Green clubs: an institutionalist perspective |
| 3 ISO 14001 and voluntary programs |
| 4 Adopting ISO 14001 |
| 5 ISO 14001 and firms' performance |
| 6 Conclusions and future directions |
| References |
| Index |
