Property and Environment Research Center - Outreach

Outreach

PERC research is presented in a number of mediums which target a number of audiences. From the PERColator Blog to peer reviewed articles, PERC attempts to make its research accessible to a broad audience.

During the summer of 2012, PERC began releasing podcasts and short videos highlighting various facets of Free Market Environmentalism.

In addition to those efforts, PERC releases PERC Reports, a quarterly magazine that addresses environmental problems and market-based solutions. It also is a means of keeping connected to entrepreneurial efforts to enhance environmental conservation.

An example of the scope of PERC Reports is the 2005 issue that addresses the environmental problems of developing countries. It notes some unique market-based solutions, such as farmers were growing chili peppers along the boundaries of their fields to prevent elephants from damaging their crops, since elephants find spicy foods unpalatable. The chili peppers are cheaper than electric fences and can be sold as a cash crop.

PERC seeks to influence public policy through these publications and their Policy Series that provides "policy recommendations that offer new solutions to what may appear to be intractable problems. The Policy Series applies PERC's knowledge of property rights and markets to solving environmental problems. The series tackles recycling, water shortages, biodiversity, salmon restoration, and more."

Unlike many other think tanks critical of environmental laws enacted by Democrats, PERC does not even indirectly support Republican candidates. In October 2004, shortly before the U.S. Presidential election, PERC released a report card giving President George W. Bush a "D-" in organic pollutant control and an "F" in air quality regulation.

Although PERC's free market environmentalist theories are similar to the Cato Institute's, PERC has not drawn the same amount of fire from liberal environmental groups. The reason may be that PERC has preferred to focus on education and analysis, rather than criticizing the Worldwatch Institute and similar environmental organizations.