ALLOWING CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL-REGULATION - AN EMPIRICAL-ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF RIGHT-TO-SUE AND RIGHT-TO-KNOW PROVISIONS ON INDUSTRYS TOXIC EMISSIONS

Objective. Extant research is inconclusive about whether policies that allow citizen participation in environmental regulation reduce pollut ion. This study attempts to advance our understanding of these new for ms of regulation by empirically investigating the effects of state-spo nsored right-to-sue and right-to-know provisions. Methods. This resear ch utilizes data from the Toxic Release Inventory in a pooled, cross-s ectional, time-series analysis of state patterns of industrial toxic e missions. Results. Findings indicate that, net of other predictors, st ates that have right-to-sue laws or that provide substantial funding f or right-to-know programs have significantly lower rates of toxic emis sions over time. Conclusions. Results are consistent with the argument s of conflict environmental sociologists, who suggest that, unless cit izens are provided real resources to mobilize their interests, citizen participation schemes will tend to be only symbolic gestures.