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A Literature Review on the Links between  Environmental Regulation and Competitiveness / Fabio Iraldo, Francesco Testa, Michela Melis and Marco Frey, Environmental Policy and Governance, 2011 (à paraître)http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eet.568/pdfAbstract : The effects of environmental regulation on competitiveness are under  constant debate for policy-makers and practitioners. The following  article reviews the different ways of defining and measuring the effects  of environmental regulation on competition and market forces and  synthesizes the most recent findings on the relationship between these  dimensions. We find that two variables have proved to be both (1) key in  defining to what extent and under what conditions environmental  regulation exerts adverse or positive effects on competitiveness, and  (2) difficult to nail down: forms of regulation and responses by  business. The form of regulation may be as important as its stringency  in determining the nature of its relationship with competitiveness. The  relationship between environmental policies, environmental performance  and competitiveness may also vary depending on the characteristics of  the businesses and sectors concerned. Taking these factors in the  methods of assessment into account may be crucial in understanding the  nature of the relationship between environmental regulation and  competitiveness. (Copyright © 2011 John Wiley &#38; Sons, Ltd and ERP  Environment)