State enforcement of the federal hazardous waste program

This article assesses the usefulness of the principal-agent, economic dependency, and state political resources approaches in accounting far differences in state-level enforcement of the federal hazardous waste management program. Using a cross-sectional analysis of state enforcement efforts, we find limited support for the state political resources approach, but also identified sources of influence contrary to its expectations. Our findings are more consistent with recent research indicating that state enforcement decisions are best explained by a combination of federal and state efforts rather than by actions taken at either level of government alone.