Anthony Heyes

Biography

Anthony has a BA (Cambridge) PhD (McGill) and is an environmental economist with wide-ranging interests in environmental policy. Recent research has focussed on instrument design, behavioral economics applied to environmental problems, incentives for green innovation, enforcement and the economic analysis of environmental law.

Since August 2011 has been Professor of Economics at uOttawa, cross-appointed to the Institute of the Environment. He also holds Tier 1 CRC in Environmental Economics.

Anthony is Associate Editor of Environmental & Resource Economics and has been on the editorial boards of various journals including the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management and the Journal of Regulatory Economics. He is or has been a Fellow of ENCORE, University of Amsterdam, Nuffield College, Oxford, an S.T. Lee Fellow at the University of Wellington, a Senior Research Fellow at UCL and a CARR Fellow at the LSE.

Outside academia Anthony has been a member of the Advisory Panel of HM Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) since 1999 and has provided advice or training to many parts of UK government including (HM Treasury, Home Office, Ministry of Justice, the Cabinet Office, etc.) the OECD, European Commission and private sector.

Research

In his research he uses theoretical and empirical methods to investigate the determinants and impacts of environmental policy. He is also interested in “corporate environmentalism” - the interface between firms, policymakers and the wider community. This leads to questions around corporate social responsibility (CSR), social license, and the various roles that NGOs play in shaping incentives for firms to behave well.

His current projects involve exploring the efficiency of eco-labeling schemes; the impact of urban air pollution on various socio-economic outcomes; the determinants of adoption of ISO standards by firms; how the heads of green NGOs see their “place in the world”; and the determinants of green R&D.

Research Question Examples a Student He Supervises Could Work On

1. Using Q methodology to “map” attitudes to a selected environmental topic. 
2. How could price-based instruments be used to deliver better urban environments?
3. What are the social benefits of green labeling programs?
4. What are the drivers of (and constraints upon) the use of market-based instruments in the management of water use and abuse?
5. Mapping attitudes in the agricultural or tourism sector towards environmental issues.