For more information contact:
Anthony Clark
Tel: 636-949-4742 Email the ISEE
Institute for Study of Economics and the Environment (ISEE) is a planned program of teaching and research at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. The Institute is an integral unit of Lindenwood University's National Center for the Study of American Culture and Values.
ISEE's objective is to improve student and public understanding of the basic economic concepts that can be used to guide effective and efficient environmental policymaking.
These concepts include such economic principles as:
Environmental Protection Is Linked to Economic Well Being. A strong and growing economy is a prerequisite for a cleaner environment. Public support for environmental protection grows as the personal incomes of citizens' increase.
Limited Resources Introduce Tradeoffs. Environmental quality is one of many highly valued social goods as are job opportunities, quality health care, first-class educational institutions, etc. Sound science and cost-benefit analysis can be used to guide cost-effective decision-making.
Market-like Mechanisms Often Offer Improved Methods to Effectively Control Pollution. Information complexity and dispersion make it difficult for government decision-makers to render optimal policy decisions. Market prices and subsequent opportunities for profits and individual gain coordinate information, helping to allocate resources efficiently.
Incentives Motivate Behavior. How humans behave in the environmental arena is fundamentally shaped by the incentives that they encounter. Individuals, businesses and government entities will find effective and efficient pollution remedies when they must pay the costs of their polluting behavior and are given freedom to choose the methods of control.
These proven principles can be applied to environmental decision-making with great effect.
