|
on Environmental Economics |
|
Issue of 2020‒10‒05
sixty-five papers chosen by Francisco S. Ramos Universidade Federal de Pernambuco |
| By: | Lubos Pastor (University of Chicago - Booth School of Business); Robert F. Stambaugh (University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School and NBER); Lucian A. Taylor (University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School and NBER; Sustainable Investing in Equilibrium) |
| Abstract: | We present a model of investing based on environmental, social, and gover- nance (ESG) criteria. In equilibrium, green assets have negative CAPM alphas, whereas brown assets have positive alphas. Green assetsÕ negative alphas stem from investorsÕ preference for green holdings and from green stocksÕ ability to hedge climate risk. Green assets can nevertheless outperform brown ones during good performance of the ESG factor, which captures shifts in customersÕ tastes for green products and investorsÕ tastes for green holdings. The latter tastes pro- duce positive social impact by making firms greener and shifting real investment from brown to green firms. The ESG investment industry is at its largest, and the alphas of ESG-motivated investors are at their lowest, when there is large dispersion in investorsÕ ESG preferences. |
| Keywords: | sustainable investing, socially responsible investing, ESG, social impact |
| JEL: | G11 G12 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bfi:wpaper:2020-24&r=all |
| By: | Paul J.J. Welfens (Europäisches Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen (EIIW)); Kaan Celebi (Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Faculty 3: Business and Law, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the European Institute for International Economic Relations (EIIW) at the University of Wuppertal) |
| Abstract: | The European Union uses an emissions certificate trading system (the EU ETS) with coverage of both industry and the energy sector CO2 emissions which is based on an EU-wide emissions cap that declines over time. Firms that have an excess stock of CO2 emission permits can sell surplus certificates at the current market price and have to record the value of the excess emission permits as an asset on the balance sheet of the respective company so that the stock market price of companies with an excess supply of certificates should increase while that of firms which have to purchase a considerable amount of additional emissions permits – beyond any initial free allocation by the EU emission trading system – could face a decline in the value of their respective stock market price. An AR-GARCH approach shows the behaviour of the EU stock market oil and gas subindex (STOXX Europe 600 Oil & Gas Producers (SEOG) index) and of the overall stock market index – with somewhat lower empirical impact findings – with regard to positive and negative shocks in terms of the allowance price dynamics. Results indicate that the oil and gas stock index responds asymmetrically to positive and negative price shocks from the CO2 allowance market: The coefficient of the shock dummy is negative and significant, while that of a positive shock dummy is not significant. There is no Granger causality in the direction from CO2 allowance price dynamics to stock market price dynamics, there is, however, a significant Granger causality running from stock markets to CO2 allowance markets in the EU – with a negative sign. The analysis has wide-ranging implications for climate policy and financial market dynamics in the EU, the US and Asia in the long run. |
| Keywords: | Emissions certificates, assets, stock market dynamics, carbon trading |
| JEL: | G10 G12 G15 Q5 Q58 |
| Date: | 2020–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bwu:eiiwdp:disbei267&r=all |
| By: | Gerlagh, Reyer (Department of Economics, Tilburg University); Hejimans, Roweno J. R. K. (Department of Economics, Tilburg University); Rosendahl, Knut Einar (School of Economics and Business, Norwegian University of Life Sciences) |
| Abstract: | For any emission trading system (ETS) with quantity-based endogenous supply of allowances, there exists an allowances-demand reducing policy that increases aggregate supply and thus cumulative emissions. We establish this green paradox in a general model and apply the insights to the Market Stability Reserve (MSR) in the EU ETS, implemented in 2018. We show that demand-reducing policies announced in early periods but realized in the future, such as decisions to phase out coal power, can be inverted by the new rules: they may increase cumulative emissions. We provide quantitative evidence of our result for a model disciplined on the price rise in the EU ETS that followed the introduction of the MSR. Our results point to the need for better coordination between different policies in the "European Green Deal" proposed by the European Commission late 2019. |
| Keywords: | Emissions trading; Green paradox; EU ETS; environmental policy; dynamic modeling |
| JEL: | D59 E61 H23 Q50 Q54 Q58 |
| Date: | 2020–05–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:nlsseb:2020_004&r=all |
| By: | Paul J.J. Welfens (Europäisches Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen (EIIW)) |
| Abstract: | Die Analyse zeigt einige wesentliche Ausgangspunkte der Klimapolitik in Deutschland und Nordrhein-Westfalen sowie in der EU. Die vorliegenden Eckpunkte der Deutschen Bundesregierung zur Klimapolitik werden einbezogen. Auf theoretischer Basis und mit Bezug auf neuere Befunde in der Fachliteratur Ð inklusive Buch Welfens, Klimaschutzpolitik. Ende der Komfortzone Ð wird dargestellt, wie erfolgversprechende Wege zur KlimaneutralitŠt bis 2050 aussehen kšnnten und welche Rolle NRW sowie Deutschland bzw. die EU und die G20 (sowie G20Plus=G20+Nigeria) dabei spielen kšnnten. Eine Expansion des CO2-Emissionszertifikate-Handels von 45% Emissionsabdeckung auf 85% - wie in Kalifornien seit 2015 Ð ist fŸr die EU und die G20 empfehlenswert. NRW kann Ÿber Bundesratsinitiativen und eigene PolitikansŠtze bei Bildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur sowie NRW-Bauprojekten und verbesserten NRW-Bauregulierung Fortschritte bei der Klimapolitik erzielen. Entsprechende Zielsetzungen und Ma§nahmen sind notwendig, wobei im mittelfristig wachsenden Emissionshandelssektor NRW- und bundespolitische Eingriffe flexibel im Interesse einer Wirksamkeit der Zertifikate-Marktpreise abzubauen sind. Au§erhalb des Zertifikate-Handelssektors sollte eine CO2-Steuer eingesetzt werden. |
| Keywords: | Climate policy, climate neutrality, emissions trading, carbon tax |
| JEL: | O44 Q50 Q52 Q54 Q58 |
| Date: | 2019–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bwu:eiiwdp:disbei262&r=all |
| By: | Hanny John Mediodia; Viktoria Kahui; Ilan Noy |
| Abstract: | The increase in sea surface temperature (SST) is one of the primary consequences of climate change and has the potential to impact tuna fisheries. This paper theoretically models and then applies the production function approach to establish a positive but non-linear relationship between catch and SST using gridded data for yellowfin and skipjack tuna catch in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. We test different forms of relationship between SST and the carrying capacity of tuna fisheries. By considering area, species and fishing methods, we provide spatially and biologically relevant information for the management of tuna in response to warming oceans. The increase in yellowfin tuna catch is higher in the Northern Hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere, while the reverse is true for skipjack tuna. We also find that there is a nonlinear (i.e. logarithmic and quadratic) relationship between the SST and the carrying capacity of tuna fisheries. |
| Keywords: | production function, sea surface temperature, tuna |
| JEL: | Q22 Q54 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8533&r=all |
| By: | Heyen, Daniel; Horton, Joshua; Moreno-Cruz, Juan |
| Abstract: | Solar geoengineering has received increasing attention as an option to temporarily stabilize global temperatures. A key concern is that heterogeneous preferences over the optimal amount of cooling combined with low deployment costs may allow the country with the strongest incentive for cooling, the so-called free-driver, to impose a substantial externality on the rest of the world. We analyze whether the threat of counter-geoengineering technologies capable of negating the climatic effects of solar geoengineering can overcome the free-driver problem and tilt the game in favour of international cooperation. Our game-theoretical model of countries with asymmetric preferences allows for a rigorous analysis of the strategic interaction surrounding solar geoengineering and counter-geoengineering. We find that counter-geoengineering prevents the free-driver outcome, but not always with benign effects. The presence of counter-geoengineering leads to either a climate clash where countries engage in a non-cooperative escalation of opposing climate interventions (negative welfare effect), a moratorium treaty where countries commit to abstain from either type of climate intervention (indeterminate welfare effect), or cooperative deployment of solar geoengineering (positive welfare effect). We show that the outcome depends crucially on the degree of asymmetry in temperature preferences between countries. |
| Keywords: | climate intervention; solar geoengineering; counter-geoengineering; free-driver; strategic conflicts; game theory; cooperation; externality; global warming; international environmental agreements; ES/R009708/1 |
| JEL: | Q54 H41 D62 D02 D72 |
| Date: | 2019–05–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:100424&r=all |
| By: | Böhringer, Christoph (Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, University of Oldenburg); Rosendahl, Knut Einar (School of Economics and Business, Norwegian University of Life Sciences) |
| Abstract: | Several European countries have decided to phase out coal power generation. Emissions from electricity generation are already regulated by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), and in some countries like Germany the phaseout of coal will be accompanied with cancellation of emissions allowances. In this paper we examine the consequences of phasing out coal, both for the broader economy, the electricity sector, and for CO2 emissions. We show analytically how the welfare impacts for a phaseout region depend on i) whether and how allowances are canceled, ii) whether other countries join phaseout policies, and iii) terms-of-trade effects in the ETS market. Based on numerical simulations with a computable general equilibrium model for the European economy, we quantify the economic and environmental impacts of alternative phaseout scenarios, considering both unilateral and multilateral phaseout. We find that terms-of-trade effects in the ETS market play an important role for the welfare effects across EU member states. For Germany, coal phaseout combined with unilateral cancellation of allowances is found to be welfare-improving if the German citizens value emissions reductions at 65 Euro per ton or more. |
| Keywords: | Coal phaseout; emissions trading; electricity market |
| JEL: | D61 F18 H23 Q54 |
| Date: | 2020–06–30 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:nlsseb:2020_005&r=all |
| By: | Galindo, Luis Miguel; Cruz-Rodríguez, Alexis; Dishmey, Yanna; Francos, Martin; López, Juan Carlos; Alatorre, José Eduardo; van der Borght, Rafael |
| Abstract: | El objetivo de este documento es identificar algunas de las relaciones básicas entre las variables económicas, sociales y ambientales en la República Dominicana y, sobre la base de estas relaciones, presentar algunos escenarios para 2030 como un insumo para discutir una estrategia de política pública que contribuya a un crecimiento bajo en carbono, inclusivo socialmente y con preservación medioambiental. |
| Keywords: | CARBONO, GAS DE EFECTO INVERNADERO, CAMBIO CLIMATICO, PRODUCTO INTERNO BRUTO, MACROECONOMIA, MODELOS ECONOMETRICOS, DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE, MEDIO AMBIENTE, ASPECTOS SOCIALES, CARBON, GREENHOUSE GASES, CLIMATE CHANGE, GROSS DOMESTIC PORDUCT, MACROECONOMICS, ECONOMETRIC MODELS, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL ASPECTS |
| Date: | 2020–09–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecr:col022:46019&r=all |
| By: | Siderius, Christian; Conway, Declan; Yassine, Mohamed; Murken, Lisa; Lostis, Pierre-Louis; Dalin, Carole |
| Abstract: | We quantify the heavily oil-dominated WEF nexus in three Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) across spatial scales and over time, using available empirical data at the national level, and explore the exposure to nexus stresses (groundwater depletion) in other countries through virtual water trade. At the domestic scale, WEF trade-offs are fairly limited; while all sectors require considerable amounts of energy, the requirements for water and food production are modest compared to other uses. At the international scale, revenues from oil exports in the GCC allow the region to compensate for low food production and scarce water availability. This dependency is dynamic over time, increasing when oil prices are low and food prices are high. We show how reducing domestic trade-offs can lead to higher exposure internationally, with rice imports originating in regions where groundwater is being depleted. However, Saudi Arabia’s increased wheat imports, after reversing its food self-sufficiency policy, have had limited effects on groundwater depletion elsewhere. Climate change mitigation links the WEF nexus to the global scale. While there is great uncertainty about future international climate policy, our analysis illustrates how implementation of measures to account for the social costs of carbon would reduce the oil and gas revenues available to import food and desalinate water in the GCC. |
| Keywords: | WEF nexus; social cost of carbon; security; food trade; embedded groundwater depletion; ES/R009708/1 |
| JEL: | N0 |
| Date: | 2020–09–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:104091&r=all |
| By: | Simpson, Gareth; Jewitt, Graham; Becker, William; Badenhorst, Jessica; Neves, Ana; Rovira, Pere; Pascual, Victor |
| Abstract: | The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus has, in the past decade, gained prominence as an approach for assessing integrated resource management. One challenge related to the WEF nexus approach is how to represent and monitor it since a system that includes water-, energy- and food-related parameters is complex. Not only are these resources quantified utilising different units, but they vary both spatially and temporally. This paper presents a national-level composite indicator that has been established for 170 countries, utilising the methodology developed by the Joint Research Centre: Competence Centre on Composite Indicators and Scoreboards. Following an assessment of 87 globally applicable water-, energy- and food-related indicators, 21 were selected to constitute the WEF Nexus Index. This index is made up of three equally weighted pillars representing the three constituent resource sectors, and six sub-pillars. A core element in the development of this index is equitable access to resources, which is characterised by each resource sector's ‘access’ sub-pillar. The WEF Nexus Index provides a quantitative perspective and offers a lens for evaluating trade-offs to be considered in the pursuit of sustainable development. To this end, it is intended for assessing national progress relating to integrated resource management as well as supporting decision making and policy development. The relevance and usefulness of the outcomes are demonstrated through an assessment of South Africa. The development of the WEF Nexus Index has demonstrated that no country is undertaking integrated resource management flawlessly. Every nation has the potential for improvement; which is evidenced by, for example, the top-ranking country for the index needing to reduce CO2 emissions. Neither the composite indicator nor the WEF nexus approach is, however, the panacea that will solve all the significant development or environmental challenges facing the global society. It can, however, contribute to integrated resource management and is complementary to the Sustainable Development Goals. It should ideally be utilised as an entry point into the underlying pillars, sub-pillars and indicators, in parallel with other qualitative and quantitative studies. |
| Date: | 2020–09–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:tdhw5&r=all |
| By: | Stefan Borsky (University of Graz, Austria); Martin Jury (University of Graz, Austria) |
| Abstract: | In this paper we combine sectoral input-output linkages based on the production network of 172 countries and 12 sectors from 1990 to 2015 and information on extreme weather events to construct an index measuring the intensity of shocks in the supply chain for each sector and country. This index is then used in an econometric model to determine the impact of supply chain disruptions on a sector's export performance. Our results suggest that a one standard deviation increase in our supply chain shock measure reduces a sector's export value by around 11 percent. Finally, we project that, if no additional adaptation were to occur, climate change will additionally reduce a sector's export value by up to 16 percent with a considerable heterogeneity in strength of the effect between the countries and sectors. Knowledge on the role of input-output linkages in the propagation of extreme weather shocks is important to design more resilient supply chains in future. |
| Keywords: | Supply chain shock propagation; climate change; natural disasters; export. |
| JEL: | F14 F18 Q54 |
| Date: | 2020–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:grz:wpaper:2020-13&r=all |
| By: | Hill,Ruth; Fuje,Habtamu Neda |
| Abstract: | The impact of drought on household welfare is the cumulative effect of crop losses and price changes in a local economy that are triggered by these initial losses. This paper combines data on monthly grain prices and wages in 82 retail markets over 17 years with data on district-level weather shocks to quantify the impact of drought on local prices and how this impact varies by month after harvest. The results show that price increases occur immediately after the completion of harvest and then dissipate so that inflationary effects are quite low during the lean season, contrary to commonly held views. The impact of shocks on prices is quite low now in Ethiopia -- 4 percent at its peak post-2005 compared with 12 percent before 2005. In areas of the country where infrastructure investments have been high, there is now almost no inflationary impact of drought on prices. It is not clear whether it is infrastructure investments or something else that has driven that, but it shows that it is possible for rainfall shocks to have no inflationary impacts in low income economies. Inflationary impacts were also reduced more in districts where the Productive Safety Net Program was introduced. Comparing inflationary effects in districts with food versus cash transfers suggests that cash transfers do not have inflationary effects on grain prices during times of drought. |
| Keywords: | Natural Disasters,Access of Poor to Social Services,Economic Assistance,Services&Transfers to Poor,Disability,Inequality,Crops and Crop Management Systems,Climate Change and Agriculture,Inflation |
| Date: | 2020–09–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:9389&r=all |
| By: | McKinley, Justin; Sander, Bjoern; Vuduong, Quynh; Mai, Trinh; LaFrance, Jeffrey |
| Abstract: | This study aims to better understand factors that may influence a farmers’ decision to use the irrigation practice known as alternate wetting and drying (AWD). This study is novel because it is the first of its kind to use expectations of AWD use to estimate whether or not farmers use the practice of AWD. Perceptions have not been previously used as predictors in the use of new agricultural technologies / practices and certainly not for AWD specifically. Furthermore, this study investigates whether or not those expectations match reality by looking at the production data of farmers using AWD as compared to farmers not using AWD. At the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, Vietnam committed to an eight percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. These reductions will come in part from the agricultural sector and specifically rice production. One promising GHG mitigating technology used in rice production is AWD, which can reduce GHG emission by as much as 48% (Sander, Wassmann, & Siopongco, 2015). This study uses primary data collected in Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta and Red River Delta to compare yield, cost, and returns of farmers who currently use AWD to farmers who use the conventional production method of continuously flooded (CF) rice. Furthermore, this study employs McFadden’s conditional logit model to model factors that may influence the farmers’ decision to use AWD or not. This study looks specifically at expectations of farm inputs (e.g. will water use increase or decrease with AWD use?) and yield for AWD use, sources of agricultural information, and irrigation subsidy perceptions. This is the first study of its kind to use expectations as an explanatory variable for the outcome, namely, expectations of AWD as a determinant of AWD use. Results indicate that the respondents’ expectations of AWD use, where respondents receive agricultural information, and whether or not they perceive that they receive a subsidy for irrigation are all significant factors in whether or not they use AWD. Furthermore, farmers have rational expectations of AWD as their expectations largely match the reality with respect to certain costs and production. The Vietnamese government can use AWD to abate GHG emissions and move closer to achieving their GHG abatement commitments without burdening themselves or Vietnamese farmers with additional costs to production. AWD use can be increased by changing expectations of AWD through proper channels of agricultural information in Vietnam. |
| Keywords: | Farm Management |
| Date: | 2020–09–16 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aare20:305255&r=all |
| By: | Imamora, Edwina Chyntia |
| Abstract: | Kota Surabaya merupakan kota terbesar kedua setelah Jakarta. Tidak dihiraukan lagi jika Surabaya menjadi sarang bagi para penduduk untuk bersaing dalam dunia pekerjaan. Hal ini membuat Kota Surabaya ramai penduduk sehingga, kawasan tempat tinggal penduduk yang semakin padat dan jalan raya semakin ramai pengendara bermotor membuat kondisi lingkungan Kota Surabaya menjadi menurun. Contohnya seperti penurunan kualitas udara, suhu, dan kebersihan. Tentunya hal ini membuat pemerintah Kota Surabaya tidak tinggal diam, maka dilaksanakanlah salah satu program SROI (Social Return on Investment) untuk mengurangi dampak masalah tersebut yakni Surabaya Green and Clean. Kota Surabaya telah melakukan program SROI melalui kompetisi Surabaya Green and Clean (SGC). Pemerintah Surabaya menggandeng perusahaan ternama seperti Nestle dan didukung oleh Jawa Pos. Program ini diselenggarakan setiap tahun. Demi meningkatkan kepedulian masyarakat terhadap lingkungan yang bersih dan hijau program ini mengajak partisipasi masyarakat untuk mengelola sampah dalam menciptakan lingkungan yang layak-huni melalui konsep sustainable development atau pembangunan berkelanjutan berwawasan lingkungan di Kota Surabaya. |
| Date: | 2020–09–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:p3ega&r=all |
| By: | Julia Blasch; Stefano Carattini |
| Abstract: | Nudges and behavioral interventions have become a popular tool to stimulate prosocial behavior. Little is known, however, on how to design effective social interventions in contexts in which the descriptive norm is low, i.e. when a desirable behavior is only practiced by a minority within the respective reference group. Bringing climate-friendly behaviors from nonnormative to normative is, however, crucial to tackle the climate crisis. We take up this challenge, devise a new strategy for social interventions, and test it with an especially sophisticated target group. In particular, we implemented a field experiment at two subsequent conferences in environmental economics, with which we examine the conference participants’ proclivity to offset their carbon emissions as part of the standard registration process. We introduced two randomized treatment conditions, one relying on social norms and one on social identity, to be compared with a neutral control group. The social norm treatment leverages past contributions to voluntary carbon emissions at those conferences. The social identity treatment primes participants’ social identity as environmental economists. We provide two main insights. First, if properly adjusted to the context, interventions leveraging social norms can be effective in changing behavior also when the descriptive norm is low and when the target group is composed of experts, if targeted individuals feel socially close to the referenced peer group. Second, the effectiveness of such interventions increases as individuals are exposed to multiple “doses” of treatment, although with decreasing marginal returns. Hence, our paper provides novel insights to policymakers and practitioners on the use of social interventions when the descriptive norm is low as well as on the ability of nudges to affect experts. |
| Keywords: | carbon offsets, social norms, social identity, nudge, field experiment |
| JEL: | A11 C93 D12 D91 H23 H41 Q54 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8542&r=all |
| By: | Jacqueline Doremus (Department of Economics, California Polytechnic State University); Irene Jacqz (IAI, Harvard University and Department of Economics, Iowa State University); Sarah Johnston (Department of Agricultrual and Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison) |
| Abstract: | We find energy spending disparities that indicate extreme weather causes hardship for low-income households. Using the 2004-2018 U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey, we estimate the relationship between temperature and energy spending separately for low-income and all other households. Both groups respond similarly -- in percentage terms -- to moderate temperatures, but low-income households' energy spending is half as responsive to extreme temperatures. We find similar disparities in the food spending response to extreme temperature, consistent with a credit constraints mechanism. These results suggest adaptation to extreme weather, such as air conditioning use, is prohibitively costly for low-income households. |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpl:wpaper:2002&r=all |
| By: | Braeuer, Fritz; Finck, Rafael; McKenna, Russell |
| Abstract: | As one possibility to increase flexibility, battery storage systems (BSS) will play a key role in the decarbonization of the energy system. The emissions-intensity of grid electricity becomes more important as these BSSs are more widely employed. In this paper, we introduce a novel data basis for the determination of the energy system's CO2 emissions, which is a match between the ENTSO-E database and the EUTL databases. We further postulate four different dynamic emission factors (EF) to determine the hourly CO2 emissions caused through a change in electricity demand: the average emission factor (AEF), the marginal power mix (MPM), the marginal system response (MSR) and an energy-model-derived marginal power plant (MPP). For generic and battery storage systems, a linear optimization on two levels optimizes the economic and environmental storage dispatch for a set of 50 small and medium enterprises in Germany. The four different emission factors have different signaling effects. The AEF leads to the lowest CO2 reduction and allows for roughly two daily cycles. The other EFs show a higher volatility, which leads to a higher utilization of the storage system from 3.4 to 5.4 daily cycles. The minimum mean value for CO2 abatement costs over all 50 companies is 14.13 €/tCO2. |
| Keywords: | Dynamic emission factor,Empirical emission factors,CO2-minimizingdispatch,Energy storage system,German industry,CO2-emissions |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:kitiip:44&r=all |
| By: | Pitteloud, Sabine |
| Abstract: | During the last decade, we have witnessed increased public concern about vehicle emissions and growing frustration with political inaction and businesses’ preference for the status quo. This paper offers a historical perspective on this debate by shedding light on the political struggle that occurred around the implementation of new regulations reducing air pollution caused by motor vehicles in Switzerland in the 1970s. Relying on archival material from the Swiss Federation of Commerce and Industry and the Federal Archives, the paper analyzes the processes of dilution and delay that characterized these regulations, and the complex interplay of various influences both in Switzerland and at the European level that contributed to this political outcome. |
| Keywords: | Environmental norms, Vehicle emissions, Lobbying, Business history, Switzerland |
| JEL: | N54 N84 F64 K32 D72 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gnv:wpaper:unige:141483&r=all |
| By: | Liu, Bingcai; Sohngen, Brent |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Research Methods/Statistical Methods |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304335&r=all |
| By: | Kayhanian, Masoud; Harvey, John T. |
| Abstract: | Historically, rubberized and non-rubberized open-graded friction courses (OGFCs) have been placed to provide three benefits: to increase traffic safety, to reduce urban highway noise, and to preserve the surface of the main pavement structural section. However, stringent environmental regulations on stormwater runoff management enacted recently have forced transportation agencies with limited right of ways in urban areas to search for creative methods to treat runoff and receive credits for preventing pollution from highways. This literature review was undertaken to explore ways to optimize current RHMA-O mix designs to provide multifunctional benefits, including water quality treatment. The literature review showed that permeability measurement is an essential parameter that influences a wide range of OG (both rubberized and non-rubberized) pavements’ performance. Further, current Caltrans aggregate gradations contain a larger fraction of fine aggregate sizes and this may also influence the permeability and functional performance of RHMA-O pavements. Part of this literature review includes an action plan recommending that the next phase of this work include optimizing current Caltrans mix designs and the mix design procedure in the laboratory and undertaking subsequent field investigations. |
| Keywords: | Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Open graded friction course (OGFC), rubberized OGFC (RHMA-O), mix design, runoff water quality, clogging, maintenance |
| Date: | 2020–09–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt1870m3g9&r=all |
| By: | Evan Herrnstadt; Terry Dinan |
| Abstract: | As part of its long-term economic forecast, the Congressional Budget Office projects the effect of climate change on the growth of U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP). CBO projects that climate change will, on net, reduce average annual real GDP growth by 0.03 percentage points from 2020 to 2050, relative to growth that would occur under the climatic conditions that prevailed at the end of the 20th century. That annual growth differential accumulates to a 1.0 percent reduction in the projected level of real GDP in 2050. Of that 1.0 percent reduction |
| JEL: | Q54 |
| Date: | 2020–09–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cbo:wpaper:56505&r=all |
| By: | Lee, Sangyoul; Bi, Xiang |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304254&r=all |
| By: | Franz Sinabell; Julia Grübler; Oliver Reiter |
| Abstract: | This study presents quantitative and qualitative assessments of potential consequences of the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur countries. It is embedded in a wider Association Agreement and was made public in summer 2019. The focus is on Austria. One objective of the agreement is to liberalise trade and to improve conditions for making investments in order to create jobs and value added and to give consumers in both regions better access to a wide range of products and services. A gravity model analysis shows that average income gains per person are remarkably similar in both regions. However, the economies in Mercosur countries will benefit more than EU Member States economies in relative terms. A second objective of the agreement is to meet targets that go beyond immediate economic benefits, such as to further sustainable development, to prevent environmental deterioration, to avoid social frictions and to smooth adaptation processes. A qualitative comparison shows the advancements compared to other trade agreements and the limitations of trade agreements to address social and environmental concerns. An in depth-appraisal of the provisions for agriculture shows potential benefits and costs for consumers and farmers in both regions. |
| Keywords: | trade liberalisation, EU, MERCOSUR, gravity model, environment, agriculture |
| JEL: | F13 F15 F17 F18 Q17 |
| Date: | 2020–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wsr:ecbook:2018:i:vii-003&r=all |
| By: | Kurtis, Kimberly E.; Lolli, Francesca |
| Abstract: | The capital investment in the U.S. for construction and maintenance of the infrastructure road network is on the order of $100 billion/year. On average, investments in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries are likely to stabilize, while China will face an exponential growth of investments for new infrastructures driven by the development of metropolitan cities. Continued “business-as-usual” practice for portland and asphalt cement concrete pavement construction ignores the increasing warning calls for the identification of more sustainable and less energy intensive paving materials. It is therefore important to explore alternative pavement materials, which may have benefits in terms of environmental impact and durability performance over the current technology. Alkali activated materials concrete (AAM) exhibit these beneficial characteristics. AAM compositions have been studied with growing interest during the last three decades, and showing promising results in terms of mechanical performance, while also having a global warming potential impact 30-80% less than that of portland cement concrete. The global warming potential of these material is closely dependent on: 1) the alkali activating solution used to activate the raw material 2) the origin of the raw material. Specifically, the impact of the transport for both of these components has an impact quantifiable around 10% of its global warming potential. Hence, to increase the adoption of AAM for civil applications such as pavements, it is fundamental to analyze the existing literature to clarify the link between environmental and mechanical performance, identifying opportunities for applications that are tailored to the local availability of raw material, reducing transport environmental costs. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Alkali activated materials, life cycle assessment, pavements, CO2 intensity |
| Date: | 2020–09–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt76z7m878&r=all |
| By: | Ben Brunckhorst |
| Abstract: | In 2015, Ethiopia experienced the worst meteorological drought in decades. This paper investigates vulnerability to drought by applying a difference-in-differences strategy to this event, in a natural experiment. I construct a Standardised Precipitation Index using 35 years of satellite rainfall data to exogenously measure local drought intensity, and combine with nationally representative household panel data. Results show thathouseholds experiencing at least a one in 20-year drought have, on average, 12 percent lower annual consumption and 38 percent lower agricultural production than they would otherwise have in a typical year. Results are robust to varying sets of counterfactuals, placebo treatments and identification using the change-in-changes method. Drought has a greater impact on poorer households, female-headed households and larger producers. Production is sensitive to drought severity. In a context of increasing drought frequency and intensity, these findings imply lower expected returns to investment in agriculture, hindering rural development. Results also suggest drought induces positive production spillover effects in nearby areas, which could support resilience. This mechanism may be facilitated by increased factor mobility and market interactions between villages during times of drought. Evidence from rural Ethiopia indicates that transport services, mobile phones and social networks are important for resilience, but the effect of road infrastructure alone is less clear. Public investment in these services may have untapped potential to reduce climate vulnerability. |
| Keywords: | Drought; Ethiopia; Infastructure; Rural Development |
| JEL: | Q54 R58 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:csa:wpaper:2020-17&r=all |
| By: | Kotir, Julius; Bell, Lindsay; Kirkegaard, John; Whish, Jeremy; Aikins, Kojo Atta |
| Abstract: | Many farming systems in Australia are underperforming. For example, a recent analysis showed that only about 29% of current crop sequences in the northern grains region of Australia are achieving 80% of their water-limited yield potential (Hochman et al., 2014). This is compounded by tight profit margins and changing climate and market conditions. Available evidence also suggests that between 2013 and 2018, the cost of consumable inputs, such as fertiliser, has increased by 5.7% (ABARES, 2018). Also, over the past five years, the cost of agricultural machinery in Australia has increased by 13.4% (ABS, 2018). However, several farming system component analyses and simulations have predominantly focused on the impact of biophysical processes on farming system performance, including soil quality, water use efficiency, dynamics of nitrogen, crop yields, and disease and nematodes effects of farming practices at the paddock scale. While biophysical optimisation of the farming system may be possible to improve the efficiency of most farming systems, key elements that are often ignored is how the intensity and diversity of different cropping systems impact on whole-farm factors, such as labour and machinery resources. Far from being obvious, these input resources are critical because they modify farm productivity and profitability in the short and long term. Moreover, a consideration of these factors is crucial because they can influence the adoption of farm innovations. The central objective of this study is to examine farm resource constraints with a focus on machinery, labour requirements and fuel requirements as influenced by diverse crop rotations in the northern grain-growing region of Australia. Our analysis is based on three steps. First, we simulated different crop rotations over 112 years (i.e., 1900-2012) of historical climate records using the Agricultural Production Simulator (APSIM). These crop rotations were identified following focus group meetings with leading farmers and advisors throughout the northern cropping zone of Australia. Second, we obtained information on machinery and labour parameters from existing literature, local technical guides and through a consultation process with farm advisers and growers (N = 26 farmers). Finally, we combined the APSIM generated outputs with the machinery and labour data to comprehensively determine how different crop rotations affect labour and machinery requirements within the farming system using analysis of variance. Results showed that the low-intensity systems required 46% less labour per ha than the higher-intensive systems, while the less diverse systems required about 33% less labour per ha than the more diverse systems. Planting and spraying operations respectively represent about 27% and 37% of total fieldwork requirements. Also, the labour required per ha is less in bigger farms compared to smaller farms, which may be explained by the larger machines used by these larger farms. For all sequences considered, peak labour periods fell in July, October to November, while non-peak period is August to September and December to January, corresponding with the periods in which most farm production activities occur. We conclude that Diversified crop rotation systems had significant effect on labour and machinery requirements and differed significantly among rotations (P < 0.05). Also, diverse rotations may create higher labour demand and peak periods that might, in some cases, limit the adoption of diversified crop rotations in some farm businesses, suggesting that labour efficiency can be an important consideration in farming systems research and analysis. These findings will be explored further as part of the on-going development of a bio-economic modelling to explore the trade-offs and synergies between system performance objectives and impacts of innovations options at the whole-farm level. |
| Keywords: | Farm Management |
| Date: | 2020–09–16 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aare20:305243&r=all |
| By: | Gray, Dennis; Fan, Xiaoli |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304436&r=all |
| By: | Marcella Veronesi; Stefano Carattini |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the relationship between generalized trust, temperature fluctuations during the maize growing season, and international migration by asylum seekers. A priori generalized trust can be expected to have an ambiguous effect on migration. On the one hand, countries with higher trust may exhibit higher adaptive capacity to temperature fluctuations and so lower climate-induced migration. On the other hand, trust may also facilitate migration by increasing the likelihood that communities invest in risk sharing through migration and enjoy reliable networks supporting migrants. Hence, it is an empirical question whether trust mitigates or increases the impact of climate change on migration. Our findings are consistent with an ambivalent effect of trust on migration. We find that for moderate temperature fluctuations, trust mitigates the impact of weather on migration. This effect is driven by the role of trust in increasing adaptive capacity. However, for severe temperature fluctuations, communities with higher trust experience more migration. Overall, the former effect dominates the latter, so that the net effect is that trust mitigates migration. Our findings point to important policy implications concerning the role of trust in fostering adaptation by facilitating collective action, and the need for targeted interventions to support adaptation and increase resilience in low-trust societies in which collective action may be harder to achieve. |
| Keywords: | migration, climate change, trust, adaptation |
| JEL: | O15 Q54 Z13 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8537&r=all |
| By: | Emmanuelle Augeraud-Véron (GREThA, Université de Bordeaux, France); Giorgio Fabbri (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, INRAE, Grenoble INP, GAEL, Grenoble, France.); Katheline Schubert (Paris School of Economics, Université Paris 1 PanthéonSorbonne, France.) |
| Abstract: | The relation between biodiversity loss and frequency/probability of zoonose pandemic risk is now well documented in the literature. In this article we present a first model to integrate this phenomenon in the context of a general equilibrium dynamic economic set-up. The occurrence of pandemic episodes is modeled as Poissonian leaps in stochastic economic variables. The planner can intervene in the economic and epidemiological dynamics in two ways: first (prevention), by deciding to preserve a greater quantity of biodiversity, thus decreasing the probability of a pandemic occurring, and second (mitigation), by reducing the death toll through a partial blockage of economic activity. The class of social welfare functional considered has, as polar cases, a total utilitarian and an average utilitarian specifications. It implicitly considers, at the same time, the effects of policies on mortality and on the productive capacity of the country. Thanks to the Epstein-Zin specification of preferences, we can distinguish between risk aversion and fluctuation aversion. The model is explicitly solved and the optimal policy completely described. The qualitative dependence of the optimal intervention as a function of natural, productivity and preference parameters is discussed. In particular the optimal lockdown is shown to be more severe in societies valuing more human life, and the optimal biodiversity conservation is shown to be more relevant for more “forward looking” societies, with a small discount rate and a high degree of altruism towards individuals of future generations. We also show that societies accepting a large welfare loss to mitigate the pandemics are also societies doing a lot of prevention, not to have to incur the loss too often. After calibrating the model with COVID-19 pandemic data we compare the mitigation efforts predicted by the model with those of the recent literature and we study the optimal prevention-mitigation policy mix. |
| Keywords: | Biodiversity, COVID-19, prevention, mitigation, epidemics, Poisson processes, recursive preferences. |
| JEL: | Q56 Q57 Q58 O13 C61 |
| Date: | 2020–08–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ctl:louvir:2020026&r=all |
| By: | Anna Korzenszky (IPC-IG); Sara Vicari (IPC-IG); Guilherme Brady (IPC-IG) |
| Abstract: | "'The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2018' has shown how in a number of areas progress has been insufficient to meet the Agenda's goals and targets by 2030. This is especially true for the most disadvantaged and marginalised groups (United Nations 2018). After years of decline, global hunger is on the rise, driven by conflicts and climate change (FAO et al. 2018). Poverty still has a rural face, with 79 per cent of the worlds poorest people living in rural areas (World Bank 2018) and depending on agriculture for their well-being (FAO 2017a)". (...) |
| Keywords: | Rural, civil, society, role, social, mobilisation, poverty, reduction, sustainable, rural, evelopment |
| Date: | 2019–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipc:pbrief:64&r=all |
| By: | Michaud, Clayton P.; Atallah, Shadi S. |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304628&r=all |
| By: | Rizk, Audrey; Singerman, Ariel |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Agricultural and Food Policy, Production Economics |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304433&r=all |
| By: | Shahzad, Muhammad Faisal |
| Keywords: | Productivity Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Community/Rural/Urban Development |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304261&r=all |
| By: | Daniel Ovando; Gary D. Libecap; Katherine D. Millage; Lennon Thomas |
| Abstract: | Bigeye tuna in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean were perceived as overfished for nearly 20 years, in large part due to incidental catch in the much larger skipjack tuna fishery. Efforts to halt the overfishing of bigeye stalled due to disagreements over the distribution of costs and benefits from reform. An alternative Coasean-style approach to setting both harvesting levels and the allocation of costs and benefits might offer a path forward. We calculate the costs and benefits of achieving bigeye conservation goals and describe an exchange through which benefits could be realized via removal of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). Through trade, aggregate benefits and costs are more apt to be in balance relative to mandated protection controls. The realities of bargaining costs in a multilateral setting are not underappreciated, but in light of existing stalemates in this and other fisheries, consideration of Coasean-style approaches is warranted. |
| JEL: | Q22 Q28 Q57 Q58 |
| Date: | 2020–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:27801&r=all |
| By: | Wallander, Steven; Maguire, Kelly B. |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304400&r=all |
| By: | Patrice Bougette (Université Côte d'Azur; GREDEG CNRS); Christophe Charlier (Université Côte d'Azur; GREDEG CNRS) |
| Abstract: | In 2019, following several investigations, the European Union decided to impose definitive anti-subsidy (AS) duties on imports of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia. While AS duties protect the domestic market and R\&D, this trade defense policy may interfere with environmental preservation. We investigate this issue using an international duopoly model with an environmental externality. We discuss the economic rationale of AS measures in the biodiesel context. We show that the larger the size of the domestic market, the higher the optimal AS level. Second, trade policies are less necessary when firms become more cost-efficient. Third, the sensitivity of AS policies to environmental externalities is ambiguous. Fourth, under certain conditions, the success of the innovation is negatively correlated with the strategic levels of both subsidies and AS policies. |
| Keywords: | Anti-subsidy, countervailing duties, biodiesel, European Union, trade, environmental impact |
| JEL: | D43 F18 F13 Q48 |
| Date: | 2020–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gre:wpaper:2020-38&r=all |
| By: | Kuruc, Kevin; McFadden, Jonathan |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304305&r=all |
| By: | Fuller, Sam; Brown, Austin |
| Abstract: | California’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program (CVRP) is the largest zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) incentive program in the United States. This policy brief summarizes how changes to the CVRP incentive structure may have affected California's ZEV market. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Law |
| Date: | 2020–04–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt3kj611tv&r=all |
| By: | Beilharz, Hans-Jörg |
| Abstract: | Two important factors influencing anthropogenic climate change are growth in technology and economic activity. By using a philosophical approach, we look at the essences of technology and economics to deeper understand the roots of climate change. According to Heidegger, "modern technology" is a mode of revealing truth by challenging nature. Considering the etymology of economics, we find that the origins of economics lie in supplying and caring. Although their essences are different, the common property of modern technology and economics is the challenging characteristic of their dynamics. Over time, they challenge nature and humans with rising intensity. The dynamics unfolds within a "demand" on us, the humans. Because anthropogenic climate change is a consequence of the increasing intensity in the dynamics of economics and technology, it is also related to a demand we try to satisfy. One possibility to emancipate from the dynamics and to overcome the dangers of climate change is to "hear" the demand and to get into a dialogue about it. |
| Keywords: | technological and economic growth,climate change |
| JEL: | A12 Q54 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:iubhbm:112020&r=all |
| By: | Elena Kühne (IPC-IG) |
| Abstract: | This Policy Research Brief examines social protection's role in building climate resilience based on evidence from the Garantia Safra programme, a public index-based climate risk insurance scheme in Brazil. |
| Keywords: | protection; resilience; climate change adaptation; disaster risk management; climate risk insurance; smallholders; rural development; Garantia Safra |
| Date: | 2020–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipc:pbrief:70&r=all |
| By: | Etwire, Prince Maxwell; Martey, Edward |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Production Economics |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304175&r=all |
| By: | Hao, Peng; Wei, Zhensong; Bai, Zhengwei; Barth, Matthew |
| Abstract: | Connected and automated vehicle technology could bring about transformative reductions in traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and energy consumption. Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) can directly communicate with other vehicles and road infrastructure and use sensing technology and artificial intelligence to respond to traffic conditions and optimize fuel consumption. An eco-approach and departure application for connected and automated vehicles has been widely studied as a means of calculating the most energy-efficient speed profile and guiding a vehicle through signalized intersections without unnecessary stops and starts. Simulations using this application on roads with fixed-timing traffic signals have produced 12% reductions in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. But real-world traffic conditions are much more complex—uncertainties and the limited sensing range of automated vehicles create challenges for determining the most energy-efficient speed. To account for this uncertainty, researchers from the University of California, Riverside, propose a prediction-based, adaptive connected eco-driving strategy. The proposed strategy analyzes the possible upcoming traffic and signal scenarios based on historical data and live information collected from communication and sensing devices, and then chooses the most energy-efficient speed. This approach can be extended to accommodate different vehicle powertrains and types of roadway infrastructure. This research brief summarizes findings from the research and provides research implications. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Autonomous vehicles, Connected vehicles, Ecodriving, Energy consumption, Machine learning, Microsimulation, Signalized intersections, Vehicle mix |
| Date: | 2020–09–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt0bd7g3cz&r=all |
| By: | Yousef, Sahar |
| Keywords: | International Relations/Trade, International Development, Resource/Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304609&r=all |
| By: | Ruben, Ruerd; Grace, Delia; Lundy, Mark |
| Abstract: | Food systems and diets are transforming rapidly in many parts of the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Changes in income, employment, taste, and location have direct implications for food choices and shopping patterns, which in turn have impacts on consumers’ nutrition and health, as well as environmental sustainability and resilience of the food system. |
| Keywords: | food systems; diet; health foods; food consumption; food safety; research; intervention; nutrition; fresh products; vegetables; food prices; feeding preferences; developing countries; healthier diet; Behavior change communication (BCC); fresh food; food choice |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:othbrf:133955&r=all |
| By: | Asadi, Ghadir; Mostafavi-Dehzooei, Mohammad H. |
| Keywords: | Labor and Human Capital, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Risk and Uncertainty |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304554&r=all |
| By: | Richters, Oliver; Siemoneit, Andreas |
| Abstract: | Die real existierende Marktwirtschaft unterliegt einem ökonomischen Wachstumszwang, der Umweltpolitik konterkariert. Eine bessere Wirtschaftsordnung, die in erster Linie leistungslose Einkommen verhindern muss, kann ihn überwinden und Ökonomie, Ökologie sowie soziale Gerechtigkeit in Einklang bringen. |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zoedps:5&r=all |
| By: | Bekee, Barituka |
| Keywords: | Community/Rural/Urban Development, International Development, Labor and Human Capital |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304545&r=all |
| By: | Edobor, Edeoba W. |
| Keywords: | International Development, International Relations/Trade, Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304492&r=all |
| By: | Batabyal, Amitrajeet; Beladi, Hamid |
| Abstract: | We study pollution cleanup in the Ganges in Varanasi, India. Voters elect politicians and elected politicians decide how much pollution to clean up. Between the two time periods, there is an election. Politicians are sincere or insincere. The marginal cost of public funds ζ measures how efficiently elected politicians transform tax receipts into pollution cleanup. Voters have identical per period utility functions. We ascertain the equilibrium outcome and per period voter welfare. Second, we show that an increase in ζ reduces the equilibrium pollution cleanup and voter welfare. Third, an insincere politician can delay the revelation of his insincerity. We show that a critical value of ζ,ζ^*, exists such that the insincere incumbent separates and loses the election if and only if ζ>ζ^* and that he pools and is re-elected otherwise. Finally, we note that an increase in ζ can raise voter welfare when politicians are more likely to be insincere. |
| Keywords: | Ganges River, Politician, Pollution Cleanup, Uncertainty, Voting |
| JEL: | D72 Q52 |
| Date: | 2020–01–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:102790&r=all |
| By: | Thiede, Brian C. (The Pennsylvania State University); Chen, Joyce; Mueller, Valerie; Jia, Yuanyuan; Hultquist, Carolynne |
| Abstract: | A growing demographic literature has examined the impacts of climatic variability on human populations. Most of this work has focused on migration, morbidity, and mortality. Much less attention has been given to the effects of climate change on fertility, which represents an important gap given many plausible reasons to expect such effects. We address this issue by examining the relationship between exposure to flooding and fertility in Bangladesh. We link birth records (n=355,532 person-years) from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) with satellite-derived measures of flooding from 2002 through 2014 and estimate statistical models of the relationship between flood exposure and subsequent fertility outcomes. We also conduct secondary analyses of the relationship between flood exposure and four expected causal pathways: women’s marriage, contraceptive use, employment, and health. Results suggest that flood exposure reduces the probability of childbearing, and that this effect operates with a two-year lag. Negative effects are concentrated among women with a primary school education or higher and low-parity women. In contrast, women at high parities (e.g., at or above four) tend to increase their fertility in response to flooding. We find little evidence that observed flooding effects operate through the causal pathways we test, raising questions for future research about the mechanisms that explain our findings. |
| Date: | 2020–04–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:cz482&r=all |
| By: | Hodler, Roland; Lechner, Michael; Raschky, Paul A. |
| Abstract: | We reassess the effects of natural resources on economic development and conflict, applying a causal forest estimator and data from 3,800 Sub-Saharan African districts. We find that, on average, mining activities and higher world market prices of locally mined minerals both increase economic development and conflict. Consistent with the previous literature, mining activities have more positive effects on economic development and weaker effects on conflict in places with low ethnic diversity and high institutional quality. In contrast, the effects of changes in mineral prices vary little in ethnic diversity and institutional quality, but are non-linear and largest at relatively high prices. |
| Keywords: | Resource curse, mining, economic development, conflict, causal machine learning, Africa |
| JEL: | C21 O13 O55 Q34 R12 |
| Date: | 2020–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:usg:econwp:2020:16&r=all |
| By: | Chen, Chen-Ti; Crespi, John M. |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Agricultural and Food Policy, Productivity Analysis |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304472&r=all |
| By: | Lucas Bretschger (ETH Zurich, CER-ETH Centre for Economic Research, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics); Elise Grieg (ETH Zurich, CER-ETH Centre for Economic Research, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics); Paul J.J. Welfens (Europäisches Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen (EIIW)); Tian Xiong (Europäisches Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen (EIIW)) |
| Abstract: | This paper presents empirical results on coronavirus fatality rates from cross-country regressions for OECD countries. We include medical, environmental and policy variables in our analysis to explain the death rates when holding case rates constant. We find that the share of the aged population, obesity rates, and local air pollution levels have a positive effect on fatality rates across the different estimation equations, while the share of smokers is not significant in most specifications. The strategy of aiming to achieve herd immunity has a significant positive effect on death rates. Other medical and policy variables discussed in the public sphere do not show a significant impact in our regressions. An evaluation of the different policy stringencies yields mixed results. Our results suggest that improving local air quality helps reduce the negative effects of a coronavirus pandemic significantly. Moreover, we conclude that contributions to certain multilateral organizationsÕ, including the WHO, should not only refer to standard elements of payments such as income (or trade) but also to the share of the population aged 65 years and over and PM2.5 indicators. |
| Keywords: | Coronavirus Pandemic, Case Fatalities, OECD Countries, Health Systems, Economic Development, Policy |
| JEL: | F00 F01 I18 Q50 |
| Date: | 2020–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bwu:eiiwdp:disbei274&r=all |
| By: | Jiang, Jingze |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty, Research Methods/Statistical Methods |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304239&r=all |
| By: | Wan, Xibo; Keiser, David |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304386&r=all |
| By: | Li, Man; Zhang, Wei |
| Keywords: | Labor and Human Capital, Risk and Uncertainty, Community/Rural/Urban Development |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304538&r=all |
| By: | Elbakidze, Levan; Beeson, Quinn |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304638&r=all |
| By: | Behrsin, Ingrid; Zanzonico, Olivia; Heyer, Johanna; Prieto, Alejandro; Disano, Francesca |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Social and Behavioral Sciences |
| Date: | 2020–08–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt0t7990np&r=all |
| By: | Kim, GwanSeon; Seok, Jun Ho |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, International Development |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304521&r=all |
| By: | Lancker, Kira; Bronmann, Julia |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Demand and Price Analysis, Research Methods/Statistical Methods |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304214&r=all |
| By: | Stevens, Andrew W.; Bradley, William B. |
| Keywords: | Production Economics, Risk and Uncertainty, Agricultural Finance |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304246&r=all |
| By: | Saraswat, Yashaswini; Bansal, Sangeeta |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Research Methods/Statistical Methods |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304500&r=all |
| By: | Voica, Daniel C.; Schmitz, Troy G. |
| Keywords: | Risk and Uncertainty, Production Economics, Agricultural Finance |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304409&r=all |
| By: | Potter, Nicholas; Cook, Joseph |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304465&r=all |
| By: | Brown, Jason P.; Tousey, Colton |
| Keywords: | Resource/Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea20:304182&r=all |