Pacific Affairs: An International Review of Asia and the Pacific

Volume 72, No. 3

 

The Political Economy of Environmental Regulation in India
By David Stuligross

 

Abstract

The politics of environmental regulation everywhere turns on the debate over whether cleaner technologies cost jobs. In developing countries, the tradeoff is especially salient. Growth is frequently seen as the major imperative facing governments that often point to industrialized countries' own polluting past as an argument against domestic environmental regulation. This article will analyze political and economic constraints on governmental and business control of environmental regulation generally and small-scale industrial pollution in particular. Four institutional mechanisms will be identified as status quo challengers: electoral politics, the courts, nongovernmental nonprofit organizations (NGOs), and aspects of international trade and diplomatic interaction. These mechanisms, individually and combined, provide niches in which pro-environment voices can and do influence government policies and business practices.