Home Environmental Information Provision as a Public Policy Instrument
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Environmental Information Provision as a Public Policy Instrument

  • Emmanuel Petrakis , Eftichios Sophocles Sartzetakis and Anastasios Xepapadeas
Published/Copyright: November 14, 2005

We examine information provision as a public policy instrument when products generate damages to consumers as well as environmental externalities. We show that information provision dominates taxation in terms of welfare, if information can be provided at low cost. This is because a uniform tax alone levies a heavier than optimal burden on informed consumers and allows the uninformed consumer to free ride partially on the informed consumers’ voluntary actions. If the cost of information provision is substantial, taxation is welfare superior. A policy regime that combines information provision and taxation leads to higher welfare relative to the use of either instrument alone.

Published Online: 2005-11-14

©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston

Downloaded on 26.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.2202/1538-0645.1365/html
Scroll to top button