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Summary Electronic waste (e‐waste) recycling is a critical sector for sustainable urban industrial systems. U.S. residents and businesses generate an estimated 3.2 million tons of electronic waste each year; most is not recycled and is generated in urban areas. However, adoption of state environmental regulations for e‐waste recycling is increasing. Between 2003 and mid‐2011, 25 states passed e‐waste laws. There are a growing number of e‐waste collectors and certified processors in U.S. urban areas. While the landscape of e‐waste recycling is changing, there is little analysis on the economic impacts of this industry. The research presented here synthesizes e‐waste management policy developments and growth of the e‐waste recycling industry. We present an economic impact analysis at the metropolitan level through constructing an extended input‐output (IO) model that specifies an e‐waste recycling sector. In a case study, we examine changes in e‐waste recycling activities in the Seattle metropolitan area and provide simulation results of new regional economic impacts.

The neighborhood commons, and dog parks in particular, provide a good laboratory to explore the drivers of voluntarism and trust, as well as the situational and demographic correlates that promote or inhibit voluntarism. This analysis connects a central theme of Ostrom's work on institutions for overcoming social dilemmas to the literature on voluntary actions and the health of small communities. Survey results from more than 500 users of 14 dog parks in the Atlanta area are examined to understand how variation in park and user characteristics predict variation in individual contributions to the commons, including prosocial attitudes and behavior and dispute resolution behavior. Our analysis shows how institutions foster community commons, which are correlated with both voluntarism and the voluntary enforcement of norms on users. These results from a study in the field contribute to a growing literature that explores the circumstances for successful voluntary supply and maintenance of public goods.