POWER AND POLICY DESIGN - A COMPARISON OF GREEN TAXATION IN SCANDINAVIAN AGRICULTURE

This article demonstrates the political importance of policy design in overcoming the opposition to the use of green taxes directed towards producers. The purpose of the article is to establish the link between the political power of producers and policy design. It is argued that the more politically powerful they are, the more likely policy makers are to reimburse tax revenues, to give producers control over the spe nding of the revenue and to design tax schemes in which there is a dir ect relationship between the subject being taxed and pollution. A comp arison of fertilizer and pesticide tax policy making in Denmark, Norwa y and Sweden supports this argument.