Institutional factors affecting life-cycle impacts of microcomputers

Life-cycle analysis (LCA) is most commonly used to inform the product desig n process, but here the focus is on institutional design issues - contracts , rules, and procedures that govern the behavior of individuals working in large organizations. To illustrate the issues, this study investigates the procurement, use, and disposal of microcomputers in state government agenci es in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. It finds evidence of environmentally and ec onomically suboptimal asset management, much of which can be explained and mitigated by considering the associated transaction costs. (C) 2001 Elsevie r Science B.V. All rights reserved.