Assessing the Accuracy of Self-Reported Data: an Evaluation of the Toxics Release Inventory |
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Authors: | Scott de Marchi James T Hamilton |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Political Science, Duke University, USA;(2) Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University, Box 90245, Durham, NC, 27708 |
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Abstract: | Self-reported regulatory data are hard to verify. This article compares air emissions reported by plants in the Toxics Release
Inventory with chemical concentration levels measured by EPA pollution monitors. We find that the large drops in air emissions
reported by firms in the TRI are not always matched by similar reductions in measured concentrations from EPA monitors. When
the first digits of the monitored chemical concentrations follow a monotonically decreasing distribution, we expect (via Benford's
Law) a similar distribution of first digits for the TRI data. For lead and nitric acid the self-reported data do not follow
the expected first digit pattern. This suggests that for these two heavily regulated chemicals plants are not reporting accurate
estimates of their air emissions.
JEL Classification K32, Q53 |
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Keywords: | Toxics release inventory Benford's law Reporting accuracy Information provision |
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