Journal #J-04/2002
Environmental Taxes and Politics - The Dispute over Nitrogen Taxes in Agriculture
Arild Vatn, Erling Krogh(1), Frode Gundersen & Pål Vedeld(2)
Department of Economics & Social Sciences Agricultural University of Norway PO Box 5033, N-1432 Ås, Norway http://www.nlh.no/ior/ e-mail: arild.vatn@ior.nlh.no

(1) Erling Krogh, Program for Pedagogy, Agricultural University of Norway, e-mail: erling.krogh@adm.nlh.no

(2) Pål Vedeld, Center for International Environment and Development Studies, Agricultural University of Norway, e-mail: pal.vedeld@noragric.nlh.no

Vatn, A., E. Krogh, F. Gundersen & P. Vedeld (2002): "Environmental Taxes and Politics - The Dispute over Nitrogen Taxes in Agriculture", European Environment, 12:224-240.

Abstract:
From late 1980s we observe an increased interest in environmental taxes. Still, such taxes do not seem to be much used. The present paper offers possible explanations to this. Its empirical base is a debate over nitrogen taxes in Norway.The study illustrates the difficulties involved when introducing the logic of economic efficiency into environmental policy. The problem seems to be an effect of the complexity of environmental issues, the character of the interests involved and the way decisions are instituted. Thus, we found disagreements across disciplines about the effect of a tax. In turn, this influenced the policy-making process. Furthermore, we found that the way in which the decision-making process was instituted and the way costs of taxingwere distributed among agents distinctively influenced outcomes. Finally, the study demonstrates the vulnerability of environmental policy to confrontations across sectors of responsibility and how it is exposed to lack of institutionalized continuity.Our advice to experts working with policy instruments is to engage more deeply in understanding the institutional and distributional issues as they appear in sepcific cases.

Key words: Nitrogen taxes, agriculture, disciplinary disagreement, institutions

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