Violation of environmental regulations in Sweden: economic motives, environmental attitudes, and social capital

Abstract

This paper tests the explanatory power of traditional enforcement instruments, environmental attitudes and abundance of social capital for violation of environmental regulations in Sweden. A count data model is used on a panel data set obtained from a survey to inspectors at the local and regional jurisdictions in Sweden. Regressions analyses are carried out for all firms but also for different firm categories depending on environmental impacts. The results indicate that traditional enforcement weapons, measured as number of inspection and a formal inspection style, curb violation by all types of firm categories. On the other hand, significant results are that environmental attitudes and abundance of social capital deter violation by large firms, but have no impact on violation by firms with minor environmental impacts.

Keywords

environmental regulations; violation; economic motives; environmental attitudes; social capital; heterogeneous firms; count data model; Sweden

Published in

Working Paper Series / Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Economics
2013, number: 2013:03
Publisher: Institutionen för ekonomi, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet

SLU Authors

• Holstein, Fredrik

  • Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Gren, Ing-Marie

  • Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Economics
Business Administration

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/78566