Fighting crime to improve recycling: Evaluating an anti-mafia policy on source separation of waste

IF 6.6 2区经济学 Q1 ECOLOGY

Ecological Economics Pub Date : 2024-07-02 DOI:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108291

Anna Laura Baraldi, Claudia Cantabene, Alessandro De Iudicibus

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

It is well-known that organized crime has a negative effect on waste management systems. This paper examines the impact of Italy's Law 164/1991. This is one of the most stringent measures imposed by Italy on organized crime and was designed to counteract suspected mafia infiltration by mandating the dissolution of corrupt city councils. We investigate whether this law has led to a more efficient waste management system in Italy in terms of improving selective collection of waste for recycling. The staggered enforcement of Law 164/1991 allows us to show that both the percentage and tonnes per-capita of selective waste collection in the municipalities in Apulia, Calabria, Campania and Sicily increased sharply following the first elections after compulsory administration compared to the control group of city councils not subject to dissolution. The average treatment effect of the anti-mafia policy shows a 5 percentage points and 17.5 Kg increase in respective percentage and per-capita tonnes of selective waste collection. This outcome was due to the firing of the city council, which severed connections between organized crime and local politicians. The newly elected, less corrupt council officials implemented actions did not favour organized crime, which led to more effective separated urban waste collection and lower levels of illegal waste dumping.

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打击犯罪，改善回收：评估废物源头分类的反黑手党政策

众所周知，有组织犯罪对废物管理系统有负面影响。本文研究了意大利第 164/1991 号法律的影响。这是意大利针对有组织犯罪实施的最严厉措施之一，旨在通过强制解散腐败的市议会来打击涉嫌黑手党的渗透。我们调查了这项法律是否使意大利的废物管理系统更有效率，是否改善了废物回收的选择性收集。通过交错执行第 164/1991 号法律，我们可以发现，与不解散市议会的对照组相比，阿普利亚、卡拉布里亚、坎帕尼亚和西西里的市议会在强制管理后的第一次选举后，选择性收集垃圾的比例和人均吨数都大幅增加。反黑手党政策的平均处理效果显示，选择性垃圾收集的百分比和人均吨数分别增加了 5 个百分点和 175 公斤。这一结果是由于市议会被解散，切断了有组织犯罪与当地政客之间的联系。新当选的、腐败程度较低的市议会官员采取了不利于有组织犯罪的行动，从而提高了城市垃圾分类收集的效率，降低了非法倾倒垃圾的程度。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Ecological Economics 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

12.00

自引率

5.70%

发文量

313

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： Ecological Economics is concerned with extending and integrating the understanding of the interfaces and interplay between "nature''s household" (ecosystems) and "humanity''s household" (the economy). Ecological economics is an interdisciplinary field defined by a set of concrete problems or challenges related to governing economic activity in a way that promotes human well-being, sustainability, and justice. The journal thus emphasizes critical work that draws on and integrates elements of ecological science, economics, and the analysis of values, behaviors, cultural practices, institutional structures, and societal dynamics. The journal is transdisciplinary in spirit and methodologically open, drawing on the insights offered by a variety of intellectual traditions, and appealing to a diverse readership. Specific research areas covered include: valuation of natural resources, sustainable agriculture and development, ecologically integrated technology, integrated ecologic-economic modelling at scales from local to regional to global, implications of thermodynamics for economics and ecology, renewable resource management and conservation, critical assessments of the basic assumptions underlying current economic and ecological paradigms and the implications of alternative assumptions, economic and ecological consequences of genetically engineered organisms, and gene pool inventory and management, alternative principles for valuing natural wealth, integrating natural resources and environmental services into national income and wealth accounts, methods of implementing efficient environmental policies, case studies of economic-ecologic conflict or harmony, etc. New issues in this area are rapidly emerging and will find a ready forum in Ecological Economics.