Growing populations and economies have increased the public's awareness
that the world's environmental resources are finite. The issues of
global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer have given universal
significance to what were once local and regional pollution problems.
What is evident from Public Economics and the Environment in an
Imperfect World is that Coasian negotiations fail to internalize the
costs of environmental degradation, often calling for public
intervention through the market mechanism. In its consideration of such
issues the book includes contributions on assessment problems,
institutional aspects, the need for coordination and efficiency, and
distribution issues.