Assessing Environmental Inequality: How the Conclusions We Draw Vary According to the Definitions We Employ

Downey, Liam

doi:10.1080/027321790518870

Cited by 40 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Researchers have debated the relative merits of different research methodologies (Bowen 2002; Downey 2006, 2007; Mohai and Saha 2006; Pastor, Sadd, and Morello-Frosch 2004) and different definitions of environmental inequality (Downey 1998, 2005a; Holif-ield 2001; Pulido 1996; Stretesky and Hogan 1998) and have conducted extensive quantitative analyses to determine whether environmental racial inequality exists, whether racial minorities are disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards because of their racial status or income status, and whether neighborhood racial composition is a stronger predictor than neighborhood income levels of neighborhood environmental hazard levels (the race versus income debate).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Race, Income, and Environmental Inequality in the United States

Downey

Hawkins

2008

Sociological Perspectives

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This article asks whether the relationship between neighborhood and household income levels and neighborhood hazard levels varies according to neighborhood and household racial composition. Using a national, census tract-level data set, the authors find that black, white, and Hispanic households with similar incomes live in neighborhoods of dissimilar environmental quality, that the association between neighborhood and household income levels and neighborhood hazard levels varies according to neighborhood and household racial composition, and that increases in neighborhood and household income levels are more strongly associated with declining hazard levels in black neighborhoods and households than in white neighborhoods and households. These findings contradict Wilson's claim that the significance of race has declined in the modern industrial period and demonstrate that environmental racial inequality is not the product of racial income inequality. In addition, these findings suggest that the impact of higher incomes on black/white proximity to environmental hazards has less to do with increases in white geographic mobility (relative to black geographic mobility) than with the ability of higher income blacks to escape the highly polluted, disorganized, and deteriorated neighborhoods to which so many low-income blacks are confined.Keywords environmental inequality; environmental justice; environmental hazards; race Since the early 1990s, a growing number of researchers have attempted to determine whether environmental inequality exists in the United States (Bowen 2002;Brulle and Pellow 2005;Downey 2007). These researchers have focused much of their attention on three questions: Are racial minorities disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards? If so, is this because of their racial status or because minorities tend to have lower incomes than whites? And is neighborhood racial composition a stronger predictor than neighborhood income levels of neighborhood environmental hazard levels?We expand on this research, and on arguments set forth by Pulido (1996Pulido ( , 2000 and Downey (1998), by arguing that rather than comparing the predictive power of race and income, it would be more fruitful to ask whether these factors interact to produce environmentally inequitable outcomes. Thus, this study addresses questions such as the following: Does the association between neighborhood income levels and neighborhood hazard levels vary according to neighborhood racial composition? Are increases in neighborhood income levels more strongly associated with declining hazard levels in minority neighborhoods or white neighborhoods? Questions such as these have not been posed in prior environmental inequality research. Thus, this article extends prior research by (a) developing a theoretical explanation for why race and income should interact to produce environmentally inequitable outcomes and (b) testing neighborhood-and household-level hypotheses derived from this explanation.In order to test these hypotheses, w...

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Race, Income, and Environmental Inequality in the United States

Downey

Hawkins

2008

Sociological Perspectives

Self Cite

194

117

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Within the literature on environmental inequality justice as a concept is used loosely and inconsistently (an observation also made by Walker 2012;Downey 2005). However, this is in part due to the ambivalence in the normative literature, as well as the variety of partially contradicting denitions and conceptions of justice available (which we will return to in section 4 ).…”

Section: Denitional Issues In Empirical Studies and Normative Theorymentioning

confidence: 96%

Environmental Inequalities and Democratic Citizenship: Linking Normative Theory with Empirical Research

Wallimann-Helmer¹

2014

Analyse &Amp; Kritik

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The aim of this paper is to link empirical ndings concerning environmental inequalities with dierent normative yard-sticks for assessing whether these inequalities should be deemed unjust, or not. We argue that such an inquiry must necessarily take into account some caveats regarding both empirical research and normative theory. We suggest that empirical results must be contextualised by establishing geographies of risk. As a normative yard-stick we propose a moderately demanding social-egalitarian account of justice and democratic citizenship, which we take to be best suited to identify unjust as well as legitimate instances of socio-environmental inequality.

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“…Disparate siting among poor and minority communities has been found at various geographic extents. Much work has focused on single cities such as Los Angeles, Detroit, Charleston, and Portland (Boer et al 1997;Downey 2005;Hird 1993;Smith 2007Smith , 2009Wilson et al 2012). Beyond single cities, others have uncovered siting disparities in single states such as Michigan (Saha and Mohai 2005), and even the nation (Mohai and Saha 2007).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Environmental justice, as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), entails the "fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies" (U.S. EPA 2015a). The environmental justice movement and policies can be seen as a reaction to the larger issue of environmental inequality, which refers to inequitable environmental outcomes including disparate exposure, disparate health impacts, and disparate social impacts (Downey 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Sentencing in the United States Pacific Northwest 2007–2011

Kremer

2016

Sociological Perspectives

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A significant body of research suggests that environmental risks are more likely to be found in minority and low-income communities. Few studies have questioned whether communities of lower socioeconomic status may be less protected by regulatory agencies through the use of fines in instances of noncompliance. Using the Environmental Inequality Formation perspective (EIF) and data drawn from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) administrative enforcement cases within the U.S. Pacific Northwest from 2007 to 2011, this project finds that the factors primarily influencing fine severity include the type and severity of the offense. However, after controlling for other factors, fines are less severe against facilities surrounded by low-income households. This research confirms the need for scholars, policy makers, and activists to develop greater linkages between the EIF perspective and environmental sentencing by more clearly teasing out the roles that facilities, enforcement agencies, and especially communities play in these outcomes.

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Assessing Environmental Inequality: How the Conclusions We Draw Vary According to the Definitions We Employ

Cited by 40 publications

References 39 publications

Race, Income, and Environmental Inequality in the United States

Race, Income, and Environmental Inequality in the United States

Environmental Inequalities and Democratic Citizenship: Linking Normative Theory with Empirical Research

Environmental Sentencing in the United States Pacific Northwest 2007–2011

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