An Economist's Guide to Environmentalism

“This book is an easy read that will make you rethink how we solve environmental problems. Trying on the Lofthouse thinking cap, you will discover how to improve our environment with more cooperation and less conflict. – Terry L. Anderson, John & Jean DeNault Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford UniversityJordan Lofthouse is a serious economic thinker; he is also passionate about the wonders of nature. These are not in conflict with one another in Lofthouse’s rendering but instead work hand in hand to not only understand the world and the dysfunctions caused by various policies related to the environment, but how market mechanisms and civil society can work to conserve and protect the wonders of nature, and also improve our ability to appreciate not only the beauty but the power of nature. Trade-offs, incentives, informational feedback, and social cooperation under the division of labor are not in conflict with a deep passion and concern with nature, and in fact in Lofthouse’s hands are intellectual tools for environmentalism. – Peter J. Boettke, Distinguished University Professor of Economics, George Mason UniversityAs a conservationist, I’ve often said that one of the great underappreciated and underutilized tools of conservation is economics, oftentimes because people who do conservation are either intimidated by its concepts or turned off by its perceived detached approach. To those people, I would say “Take heart!” Jordan Lofthouse’s An Economist’s Guide to Environmentalism provides a wonderful bridge from the theoretical to the practical, helping us to better understand how economic concepts explain the real world and can be applied to our most pressing environmental challenges. As Lofthouse demonstrates, markets, property rights, and even improved entrepreneurial incentives in government, the private sector, and civil society are tools that should not be overlooked in our quest to conserve our lands, water and wildlife. – Brian Yablonski, CEO, Property and Environment Research Center (PERC)This enjoyable book distills key insights from a broad array of thinkers in political economy and then applies those insights to today’s most pressing environmental challenges in a way that no scholar has previously managed to do. PPE scholars will find a wonderful tour of important questions in environmental economics, while environmental economists will glean new perspective from the elegant synthesis of the key schools of thought in PPE. – Bryan Leonard, associate professor, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and School of Energy Resources, University of Wyoming

Jordan K. Lofthouse is a senior fellow with the FA Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He is the coauthor of The Reality of American Energy: The Hidden Costs of Electricity Policy. He was born and raised in Rexburg, Idaho, and he currently lives in Falls Church, Virginia.