Toward Optimal Meat Consumption
研究了肉类消费的外部成本，通过理论模型结合实证弹性，发现仅靠教育难以实现社会最优减排，需要征收庇古税来引导消费。
External cost from meat consumption raises an issue of possible government mechanisms toward mitigation. Economic theory provides a framework for determining the optimal set of mechanisms considering the associated benefits and costs. Such a theoretical development rests on consumers' responsiveness to alternative mechanisms. Considering two mechanisms, a Pigouvian tax and green‐label education, yields tandem theoretical optimal government mechanisms. Populating this theoretical model with empirically derived elasticities and other parameters provides an application. Results indicate education alone will likely not yield a high social‐optimal level of mitigation. Instead, if external costs warrant government mechanisms, a Pigouvian tax will be required to move consumption toward a socially optimal state.