Corporate Environmentalism and Public Policy

Lyon and Maxwell present an accessible theory of corporate environmentalism.

Thomas P. Lyon (Author), John W. Maxwell (Author)

9780521819473, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 13 December 2004

308 pages, 6 tables
23.5 x 16 x 2.7 cm, 0.635 kg

'Drawing on game theory and classical economic models of regulation, Lyon and Maxwell advance our understanding of the relationships among companies, governments, and environmental activists that shape the environmental behavior of firms. Their book is critical reading for environmentalists, government officials, and scholars who need to understand why hard-nosed managers might practice corporate environmentalism, and whether society at large actually benefits from that behavior.' Forest Reinhardt, Harvard Business School

This is the first book to provide a hard-headed economic view of the voluntary approaches to environmental issues, especially toxic chemicals, waste disposal and global warming, that have become prominent in recent years. Corporate environmental initiatives are seen as a tool for influencing the behaviour of environmental activists, legislators, and regulators, though they may have ancillary benefits such as attracting 'green' consumers or reducing costs. Equally, government voluntary programs are seen as a way to achieve modest environmental results when political resistance to mandatory policies is high. Rigorous analysis is illustrated with numerous case studies drawn from the US, Europe, and Japan, while technical details are relegated to appendices, and each chapter highlights implications for corporate strategy and public policy. Although rooted in economic theory, this book will appeal to business strategists and policy practitioners, as well as scholars and researchers.

Preface
Part I. The Interaction of Strategy and Policy: 1. A framework for analysis
2. Markets, politics and models
Part II. Corporate Strategy and the Policy Life Cycle: 3. Preempting future regulations
4. Influencing future regulations
5. Deflecting enforcement of existing regulations
Part III. Government Voluntary Programs: 6. An institutional analysis of voluntary environmental agreements
7. Negotiated agreements
8. Self-regulation, taxation and public voluntary agreements
9. The design of public voluntary agreements
10. Conclusions
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Environment law [LNKJ], Business & management [KJ], Environmental economics [KCN], Microeconomics [KCC]