What determines the relationship between pollution and growth? Are the forc
es that explain the behavior over time of these quantities potentially usef
ul for understanding more generally the relationship between policies and g
rowth? In this paper we make a first attempt to analyze the equilibrium beh
avior of two quantities-the level of pollution and the level of income- in
a setting in which societies choose, via voting, how much to regulate pollu
tion. Our major finding is that, consistent with the evidence, the relation
ship between pollution and growth need not be monotone, and that the precis
e equilibrium nature of the relationship between the two variables depends
on whether individuals vote over effluent charges or directly restrict the
choice of technology. Moreover, our analysis of the pollution problem sugge
sts that, more generally, endogenous policy choices should be taken serious
ly as potential sources of heterogeneity when cross-country differences in
economic performance are studied. (C) 2001 Academic Press.