Record Details
An exploration of water quality in the United States using an Environmental Kuznets Curve framework
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | An exploration of water quality in the United States using an Environmental Kuznets Curve framework |
| Names |
LataneĢ, Annah M.
(creator) Jaeger, William K. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2014-06-02 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 2015 |
| Abstract | This study seeks to explore the determinants of the relationship of economic growth and water quality in the United States using an Environmental Kuznets Curve framework. Specifically this study seeks to determine whether there is evidence of improvement in water quality since passage of the 1972 amendments to the Clean Water Act, as well as whether there is a relationship between growth in income per capita and water quality. A third hypothesis considers whether sampling bias in water quality data may have prevented other authors from finding robust evidence of an EKC in the US. A county- level panel dataset spanning from 1969-2012 was constructed using water quality sampling information for concentrations of dissolved oxygen for surface waters in the contiguous US. Using fixed and random effects econometric models, this study finds very little significant evidence for the presence of an EKC; additionally the results do not support the hypothesis of improvements in overall water quality in the time period studied. Further research should focus on the appropriate matching of economic and physical water data, as well as consider the implications of water quality in the EKC framework. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Access Condition | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ |
| Topic | Applied Economics |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/49889 |
