Do Fairness vs. Effectiveness Tradeoffs Influence Public Support for Pollution Reduction? The "Odd-Even" Road Space Rationing Rule in India

Aseem Prakash, professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington, will present "Do Fairness vs. Effectiveness Tradeoffs Influence Public Support for Pollution Reduction? The "Odd-Even" Road Space Rationing Rule in India," 10-11:30 a.m. Friday, March 24.

Environmental protection involves persuading individuals to incur private costs for the production of environmental public goods. This is challenging when actors targeted by the policy have different capabilities to absorb policy costs. In response, policy designers sometimes exempt select groups from adopting this policy. While this addresses equity issues and may help build the policy, it may also undermine policy effectiveness and thus, in turn, public support for this policy. Prakash's talk will explore how policy support might be influenced by such equity-effectiveness tradeoffs, with particular focus on a type of road space rationing policy, the odd-even rule, implemented in New Delhi on a trial basis in 2016.

This talk is part of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and the University Program in Environmental Policy seminar series featuring leading experts discussing a variety of pressing environmentally focused topics.