Free Market Environmentalism (book)
Encyclopedia
Free Market Environmentalism is a book by Terry L. Anderson
and Donald R. Leal that was of great importance to the free market environmentalist movement.
It was intended as an ideological tract and call to action, rather than as an empirical study. The book was lauded for its readability and its reference list was described as "one of the most comprehensive offerings currently available in this area." It was praised for presenting the possibility of replacing zero-sum
contests between industry and conservationists with markets that would allow for mutually acceptable arrangements. However, it was also criticized as having a narrow assessment of environmental values and various policy options, and not weighing historical facts carefully. It was also criticized for not presenting a very persuasive argument for tradeable permits, inasmuch as only one significant example of their application to water quality, and that a not very successful one, was cited. Likewise, the book was criticized for not explaining how liability rules would work when pollutants are pervasive and synergistic.
The book's approach has also been criticized for its silence on the distributional impact and coercive aspects of markets. Many of the criticisms leveled at the book apply to free market environmentalism in general; for example, the argument that privatization will exclude some people from enjoying outdoor recreation because of their inability to pay, or that those with insufficient means to pursue litigation will be unable to sue negligent property owners such as polluters.
Terry L. Anderson
Terry Lee Anderson is the executive director of the Property and Environment Research Center, a John and Jean de Nault senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, and adjunct professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has been one of the most influential figures in the...
and Donald R. Leal that was of great importance to the free market environmentalist movement.
It was intended as an ideological tract and call to action, rather than as an empirical study. The book was lauded for its readability and its reference list was described as "one of the most comprehensive offerings currently available in this area." It was praised for presenting the possibility of replacing zero-sum
Zero-sum
In game theory and economic theory, a zero-sum game is a mathematical representation of a situation in which a participant's gain of utility is exactly balanced by the losses of the utility of other participant. If the total gains of the participants are added up, and the total losses are...
contests between industry and conservationists with markets that would allow for mutually acceptable arrangements. However, it was also criticized as having a narrow assessment of environmental values and various policy options, and not weighing historical facts carefully. It was also criticized for not presenting a very persuasive argument for tradeable permits, inasmuch as only one significant example of their application to water quality, and that a not very successful one, was cited. Likewise, the book was criticized for not explaining how liability rules would work when pollutants are pervasive and synergistic.
The book's approach has also been criticized for its silence on the distributional impact and coercive aspects of markets. Many of the criticisms leveled at the book apply to free market environmentalism in general; for example, the argument that privatization will exclude some people from enjoying outdoor recreation because of their inability to pay, or that those with insufficient means to pursue litigation will be unable to sue negligent property owners such as polluters.