Dissertation
Longitudinal and Network Analyses of International Trade in Plastic Waste
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2020
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/112651
Abstract
Plastic production has been increasing since mass production of plastics started in the 1950s. As plastic production has continued to rise, so did plastic waste. Meanwhile, international trade in plastic waste has increased as well. The narrative about global trade in plastic waste oftentimes is that the Global North transfers waste to the Global South. However, little is known quantitatively about the extent to which the Global North shifts environmental harms of plastic waste to the Global South. This dissertation includes three quantitative studies that examine global trade in plastic waste. The first study, chapter two, examines the extent to which global trade in plastic waste provides evidence for ecologically unequal exchange relationships. The second study, chapter three, explores whether plastic waste can be a resource for some countries. Specifically, the second study investigates whether trade in plastic waste has different effects on the level of economic development in high-income countries and non-high-income countries. The third study, chapter four, employs the method of network analysis to investigate the characteristics and dynamics of international trade in plastic waste. Providing a nuanced perspective, this dissertation advances our understanding of the theory of ecologically unequal exchange in the context of international trade in plastic waste.
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Details
- Title
- Longitudinal and Network Analyses of International Trade in Plastic Waste
- Creators
- Yikang Bai
- Contributors
- Thomas Rotolo (Advisor)Jennifer Givens (Committee Member)Don A. Dillman (Committee Member)Erik Johnson (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Sociology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 106
- Identifiers
- 99900581810001842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation