Kuznets curve in municipal solid waste production: An empirical analysis based on municipal-level panel data from the Lombardy region (Italy)

By using a novel database that observes 1,497 municipalities from the Lombardy region in Italy between 2005 and 2011, this paper provides an empirical test of the Waste Kuznets Curve (WKC) hypothesis. Fixed effects regression analyses, generalized method of moments models and a number of robustness checks strongly indicate that among the municipalities under scrutiny there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic development and waste generation. Nevertheless, only a few of the municipalities under scrutiny reach the turning point of the estimated curve. These findings contribute to the expanding empirical literature that tests WKC by using municipal data, considered the most appropriate for this kind of analysis.