This talk will discuss one recent case where economics has helped solve a problem, and another where it has (or appears to have) made the problem worse. The former is the U.S. Clean Air Act of 1990, which helped reduce emissions of toxic substances. The latter is the transition to a market economy in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which has been criticized for wreaking havoc on the Russian economy..

NOTE:
- This lecture was conducted only in Japanese.