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Human Capital, Income, and Environmental Quality: A State-Level Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

Stephan J. Goetz ,
David L. Debertin  and
Angelos Pagoulatos
Stephan J. Goetz
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky
David L. Debertin
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky
Angelos Pagoulatos
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky
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Abstract

An empirical analysis reveals that states with more highly educated populations have better environmental conditions, after controlling for income, population density, and industrial composition. The strategy of raising human capital stocks to maintain or improve environmental quality is proposed as a complement, if not an alternative, to direct government intervention, which consists of command and control, market incentives, and moral suasion. Under this approach, general education becomes the control variable that guides economic behavior in a manner consistent with long-term environmental sustainability.

Type
Articles
Information
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , October 1998 , pp. 200 - 208
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

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