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EFFECTIVENESS OF ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND AWARENESS IN PUBLIC POLICY: MICROECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF REGULATION EFFECTS AT REGIONAL ENERGY MARKET
Elena Limanov
Sažetak
Ecological safety is one of the most important challenges for the people all over the world. Remedies
applied are often a part of public policy ad, as a rule, undermine losses of public welfare in a short-run
to achieve environmental goals. These losses may be considered as a fee paid by society for cleaner
environment. The aim of the state as a regulator in this context (or even a kind of its social
responsibility) is to choose the way to better environment which guarantees a minimum public welfare
loss. Welfare effects are construed here in microeconomic perspective – as welfare changes measured
at the markets under regulation. Ecological education and awareness represent a rare case of regulation
which could result in gain of public welfare. The arguments come from theoretical analysis of situation
when the information first unavailable is transmitted to consumers, and they change their preferences.
Public welfare gain as a result of consumers’ awareness on NOx emission, measured at Novosibirsk
regional energy market, could run up to 25 mln of rubles per month (regional market is based on energy
consumption and production data). This gain of welfare could occur if consumers show rational reaction,
which undermines a decrease of energy demand as a response on information of energy production
externalities; or if they react at all. The second remark is crucial for regulation effect. It means that
consumers have to consider ecological information as meaningful. These values and behavior are next to
ecological education. As some researches show the cleaner environment is out of the priorities for
people in Russia. Therefore Russian government has to promote ecological education. Sufficiency of
current efforts is considered in the paper as well.
Ključne riječi
ecologic awareness; ecological education; environmental policy; microeconomic analysis
Hrčak ID:
123668
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.6.2015.
Posjeta: 897 *