Member-only story
Solving the backyard problem
NIMBY — not in my backyard — refers to a problem with both economic and behavioural angles. Might that suggest a way to tackle it?
As children, many of us were told about the importance of sharing things with our siblings, whether it was a bag of sweets received from a visiting aunt, Easter eggs collected from the garden, or that new toy. Equitable sharing is an important principle that, as adults, we generally still implicitly honour. But in our childhood, something was missing from the picture that tends to complicate matters in the grown-up world. Even if the benefits of something are shared sensibly, the same does not always hold for corresponding downsides, for example when it concerns the construction and operation of major infrastructure, from railways and motorways to wind farms and airports. The overall economic benefit of such facilities is often clear, and most of the population enjoys them directly or indirectly. But their disadvantages fall disproportionately on the shoulders of the people who live nearby. Sure, we want them — but not in our backyard!
An economic perspective
On 14 July, Belgian deputy PM and minister for mobility Georges Gilkinet announced plans to reduce noise pollution at Brussels Airport between 11pm and 6am by…
