41. The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Disposable Bag Regulation
- Author:
- Tatiana Homonoff, Lee-Sien Kao, Javiera Selman, and Christina Seybolt
- Publication Date:
- 11-2021
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Many recent government and corporate policies aimed at reducing a variety of negative externalities include regulations that ban the provision of externality‐generating products. However, these policies often ban only a narrow subset of products associated with the underlying externality. For example, the U.S. Department of Justice banned bump stocks, which assist in rapid‐fire shooting, after a Las Vegas mass shooting rather than placing stricter regulations on all assault weapons. Similarly, Starbucks recently banned the distribution of plastic straws at its stores to reduce environmental waste, and New York City attempted to pass a restaurant ban on sugar‐sweetened beverages over 16 ounces to curb obesity.
- Topic:
- Environment, Government, Regulation, and Corporations
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus