Measuring equity in environmental care: methodology and an application to air pollution

Antonio Abatemarco, Roberto Dell'Anno and Elena Lagomarsino
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Antonio Abatemarco: CELPE - CEnter for Labor and Political Economics, University of Salerno, Italy
Elena Lagomarsino: Department of Economics, University of Genoa - Italy

No 172, CELPE Discussion Papers from CELPE - CEnter for Labor and Political Economics, University of Salerno, Italy

Abstract: The implementation of environmental policies varies substantially across geographical areas. This paper proposes a conceptual and methodological framework—adapted from the health economics literature—to assess equity in the allocation of environmental policy effort. We define “environmental care” as the set of local policy interventions aimed at improving environmental quality within an area, and evaluate its distribution relative to environmental need. Using direct and indirect standardization techniques, we measure horizontal inequity (unequal care among areas with similar need) and vertical inequity (differential care in response to differing needs). Applying this framework to traffic-related air pollution policies in Italian municipalities from 2012 to 2021, we find that the observed reduction of overall inequality in environmental care is mostly driven by a decline in hori- zontal inequity. However, we find evidence of persistent socioeconomic disparities, with lower-income municipalities receiving disproportionately less policy effort relative to their environmental needs.

Keywords: environmental equity; environmental inequality; air pollution; distributive justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q53 Q58 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 47 pages
Date: 2025-07-03
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