Impact of Domestic Environmental Regulatory Policies on US International Competitiveness.

摘要

In this study, the authors assesses the power of domestic regulatory costs as explainers of both inter-industry and aggregate trade performance. The build of the quantifiable, disaggregable regulatory costs borne by domestic firms are typically the costs associated with environmental controls. Consequently, my quantitative analysis is directed most centrally at this form of regulation. Based on a Hockscher-Ohlin (cum Leamer) setup, it appears that the major increase in environmental regulation that can be dated from the early 1970s has significantly altered US trade pattern. The imposition of environmental controls has apparently left the US relatively poorly-endowed from the perspective of private actors with clean air and water, and has put the US at a comparative disadvantage in the implicit trade that takes place in (emfodied) air and water resources. When available information on non-environmental regulatory costs is coupled with the more detailed and reliable data on environmental regulatory costs, there is evidence that the overall impact of domestic regulatory policy on trade performance has been negative, particularly in the manufacturing sector. 85 refs., 11 tabs.