The Economics of Household Air Pollution. Annual Review of Resource Economics, July 2015.
Authors: Marc Jeuland, Sanford School of Public Policy and Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27517; email: marc.jeuland@duke.edu ; Subhrendu K. Pattanayak Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke Global Health Institute, Nicholas School of the Environment, and Department of Economics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27517; email: subhrendu.pattanayak@duke.edu; Randall Bluffstone, Department of Economics, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207; email: bluffsto@pdx.edu
Traditional energy technologies and consumer products contribute to household well-being in diverse ways but also often harm household air quality. We review the problem of household air pollution at a global scale, focusing particularly on the harmful effects of traditional cooking and heating. Drawing on the theory of household production of health, we illustrate the ambiguous relationship between household well-being and adoption of behaviors and technologies that reduce air pollution. We then review how the theory relates to the seemingly contradictory findings emerging from the literature on household demand for clean fuels and stoves. In conclusion, we describe an economics research agenda to close the knowledge gaps so that policies and programs can be designed and evaluated to solve this critical global problem.
Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Resource Economics Volume 7 is October 05, 2015. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/catalog/pubdates.aspx for revised estimates.
