Location: 368A Heady Hall

Description: Jay Shimshack
"Does mandatory labeling of outfall points influence pollution and compliance? Evidence from a natural experiment in Ohio"

Abstract: This is the first paper to document that compulsory public labeling of pollution outfalls influences facilities' environmental performance and compliance outcomes. Using standard program evaluation tools and quasi-experimental methods that exploit administrative quirks for identification, we evaluate on Ohio program that required visible signs at all water pollution discharge points. Signage had large impacts on pollution discharges and violations. Treated facilities' discharges fell about five to ten percent relative to a counterfactual. Preliminary explorations suggest results may driven by both traditional "rational actor" mechanisms and economic psychology mechanisms.