Primer on the Political Economy of Air Quality Management; for Engineers and Others with Low Tolerance for Mushy Data

Abstract

"These essays were written for Professor Bob Gearheart's 'Air Quality Management' course in the Environmental Engineering Program at U.S.I. They were written from January 22 to February 18 of 1973. In no sense does this material constitute either research or even a review of the literature. This was essentially a sit-down-and-write-it-out effort. Further, I have made no systematic effort to learn about air pollution and its control. Hence, the following material is presented in a rather casual and perhaps cavalier manner. Ms. Virginia Ream's editing of my first drafts has cleaned up my residual illiteracy.

"I have attempted to take the perspective of a political economist and examine a set of problems. If this effort is useful for engineers and others I would be willing to put the material into a more conventional form. I will, of course, be grateful to those who point out errors and/or make suggestions."