Reduction at Source of Product Packaging and Market-Based Instruments: The Moderating Role of the Stringency of Packaging Environmental Regulation

摘要

We examine the effect of market-based instruments (MBIs) on manufacturers' decisions to produce less packaging at the source, and the moderating effect of the packaging environmental regulation stringency on the relationship between MBIs and packaging weight. We analyze a longitudinal data set from 848 manufacturers. We find an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic instruments and packaging weight. The effect of MBIs and packaging regulatory strictness varies across industries. We provide empirical evidence for the perceptional and behavioral gap between policymakers and implementers of environmental policies. Policymakers should not expect the latter will always produce the same effect in all industries.