THE ENDURING CONFLICT OF "JOBS VERSUS THE ENVIRONMENT": LOCAL POLLUTION HAVENS AS AN INTEGRATIVE EMPIRICAL MEASURE OF ECONOMY VERSUS ENVIRONMENT

The "jobs versus the environment" dichotomy has been a recurring theme in the United States for decades. It is typically taken to refer to a choice or trade-off between economic growth and development and environmental quality or the lack of environmental degradation. Little resolution has...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociological spectrum 2011-01, Vol.31 (1), p.59-85
Main Author: Matthews, Todd L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Choices
Comparative analysis
Conceptualization
Conflict
Economic Development
Economic growth
Employment
Environmental Degradation
Environmental economics
Environmental quality
Pollution
Pollution control
Pollution costs
Pollution levels
Regression analysis
Regulation
Sociology
Toxicity
U.S.A
United States of America
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Summary:The "jobs versus the environment" dichotomy has been a recurring theme in the United States for decades. It is typically taken to refer to a choice or trade-off between economic growth and development and environmental quality or the lack of environmental degradation. Little resolution has occurred after decades of research because of inconsistent or problematic conceptualization and the use of inappropriate spatial units of analysis. Research on international and domestic pollution havens is reviewed in an effort to introduce the Local Pollution Havens concept. Local pollution havens are conceptualized as counties with high levels of pollution per unit of economic reward, high toxicity per unit of economic reward, and low regulation or other social controls. Traditional and spatial statistical techniques are utilized to construct this measure and determine which counties fit the conceptualization. Descriptive statistics and the results of t-tests and logistic regression analyses are presented to demonstrate how these areas differ from other counties. Implications for the remediation of these areas and also avenues of future research are offered.
ISSN:0273-2173
1521-0707
DOI:10.1080/02732173.2011.525696