Private Adoption of Public Good Technologies: The Case of PurpleAir

Joshua Graff Zivin, Benjamin Krebs and Matthew Neidell

No 32356, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We study the private adoption and diffusion of a technology that provides a local public good – PurpleAir (PA) pollution monitors. From a purely informational perspective, the ideal spacing of these monitors should reflect the degree of spatial correlation in pollution. In stark contrast, we find that monitor adoption is spatially highly clustered in less polluted areas, suggesting the marginal monitor adopted provides minimal additional public information. Moreover, monitor adoption mainly occurs in affluent, predominantly white neighborhoods, underscoring the potential environmental justice concerns associated with the private provision of this public good.

JEL-codes: H41 Q53 Q55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-env and nep-ure
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