Environmental policies that shape productivity: Evidence from cattle ranching in the Amazon

Fanny Moffette, Marin Skidmore, Holly K. Gibbs

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We examine two potential economic benefits of environmental policy, increased agricultural investment and productivity. This is important because if these benefits are realized, environmental policy could optimize land use for food production while minimizing the negative environmental impacts. We employ multiple empirical techniques to analyze a market-led and a public-led anti-deforestation policy that influence the vast cattle ranching sector in the Brazilian Amazon. We show that both policies increased cattle productivity, while the market-led policy also increased investment. We find no evidence that the two policies were substitutes or complements. Results indicate that the policies were each effective in different market- and land-use-contexts, so that enforcement of both policies increased productivity for a larger set of properties. Our research reveals both indirect and unintended benefits of environmental regulation, which have implications for the design of policies that affect the agricultural sector, a major driver of land-use change.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number102490
JournalJournal of Environmental Economics and Management
Volume109
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Amazon
  • Environmental regulation
  • Induced intensification
  • Land investment
  • Productivity
  • Unintended benefits

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Economics and Econometrics
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Environmental policies that shape productivity: Evidence from cattle ranching in the Amazon'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this