SIHS SEMINAR Series

次回セミナー/Next Seminar

2026年7月24日(金)　July 24 (Fri.), 2026 5:20PM-6:50PM

報告者/Presenter: Shinsaku “Chris” Takikawa (London School of Economics and Political Science) 

Title: Combatting Noise Pollution   

場所：2号館11階経済学部会議室B

Venue: 11th Floor, Bldg. No.2 Meeting Room B 

幹事/Organizer：長谷部拓也/Takuya Hasebe 

言語/Language：英語/English 

要旨/Abstract: Road-traffic noise imposes substantial welfare costs, yet the effects of noise regulation remain poorly understood, in part because long-run, large-scale noise measurement data are rarely available. We study Japan's Noise Prevention Act using noise measurements for roughly 17,000 road segments over 2000--2023 and document three findings. First, average roadside noise fell by 3 dB, corresponding to roughly 20% lower perceived loudness. Second, a trend decomposition indicates that noise policies account for 67% of this decline, with a larger contribution from pavement upgrades than from tighter vehicle noise-emission standards. Third, a 1 dB noise reduction from pavement upgrades raises nearby residential land prices by approximately 3%, implying aggregate benefits of ¥27.1 billion from overall boise reduction over 2020-2023. Our estimates imply that jurisdictions with weaker noise regulation — including the United States — leave substantial welfare gains unrealized.