The Effects of Local Environmental Institutions on Perceptions of Smoke and Fire Problems in Brazil

Wertz-Kanounnikoff, Sheila ; Chomitz, Kenneth M.

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ADULT EDUCATION;    BIODIVERSITY;    BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION;    BUDGETING;    CITIZENS;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-4522
RP-ID  :  WPS4522

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Environmental concern in developingcountries has risen rapidly over the past decade. At thesame time, decentralization and civic participation inenvironmental policy-making have also burgeoned. This paperuses data from the Brazilian Municipal Environmental Survey2001 to examine the causal effect of municipio (county)level environmental institutions on perceptions aboutenvironmental problems in Brazil. Consistent with models ofpublic choice, the analysis assumes that the existence of anenvironmental secretary or an environmental council isrelated to characteristics of the municipio population. Tocontrol for endogeneity - the possibility that the presenceof environmental institutions merely signalsconstituents' tastes rather than influences municipalactions - the authors construct a system of equations thatidentifies the causal impact of the institutions.Estimation via a trivariate probit model allows forcorrelation of unobserved determinants of problemperception, presence of an environmental secretary, andpresence of an environmental council. The results suggestthat the presence of environmental secretaries has a strong,highly significant, positive causal effect on environmentalproblem perception.Presence of local environmentalcouncils with civic participation has a significant butweaker impact on environmental problem perception. Theauthors conclude that local environmental institutionsindeed shape local environmental awareness and thatparticipatory institutions can influence local government.