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on Environmental Economics |
| By: | Balogh, Jeremiás Máté |
| Abstract: | The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has grown mainly as a result of human activity in the world. Anthropogenic CO2 emission accounts for around three-fourths of global GHG emissions. Furthermore, the development of greenhouse gas emissions is extremely associated with global warming. Approximately one-third of the global atmospheric methane emissions come from agricultural activities. In the agricultural production process, irrational activities such as inappropriate land use, the excessive application of pesticides and chemical fertilizers may lead to the release of high amounts of GHG emissions, which affect harmfully the environment. In addition, the intensity of agriculture-related factors of climate change might vary over countries and continents. The objective of the research is to explore the main agricultural-related determinants of climate change focusing on livestock farming, crop production, land use, enteric fermentation, manure management, synthetic fertilizers along with the geographical and cultural background of the pollution. The analysis was carried out on a global sample, representing the world economy. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289690&r=all |
| By: | Elyas, Redha; Masih, Mansur |
| Abstract: | Global environmental pollution has been rapidly growing over the past few years, causing global warming and drastic climate changes. There are efforts carried out by individuals and entities to minimize the level of pollution worldwide. This study attempts to investigate the nexus relationship between carbon emissions, FDI inflows, exports and GDP. Having an open economic setting, heavy reliance on FDI and exports, as well as high rate of carbon emissions, Singapore appears to suit the study. The analysis is carried out using standard time-series techniques, supplemented by ARDL and NARDL tests on annual data spanning from 1970 to 2017. The empirical results tend to suggest that the nexus relationship is statistically significant, the rate of carbon emissions really influences GDP through FDI and that the CO2 emission is the most exogenous among the variables. This study is consistent with the “no pain all gain” slogan by which implementation of policies related to carbon emissions is expected to expand GDP growth due to the awareness of investors regarding environmental issues. Our findings are of great importance to the development policies in countries facing similar challenges. |
| Keywords: | environment, GDP growth, ARDL, Nonlinear ARDL, Singapore |
| JEL: | C22 C58 Q56 |
| Date: | 2019–06–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:94683&r=all |
| By: | Knut Einar Rosendahl; Ingvild Vestre Sem; Henrik Lindhjem; Kristine Grimsrud (Statistics Norway) |
| Abstract: | The Norwegian high-level Green Tax Commission proposes inter alia cost-effective taxes on red meat and increased toll charges on road traffic to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution, respectively. Implementation requires support by the public, but the acceptance of such taxes is not known. We have conducted a national survey of the public's acceptance of the two taxes. The survey instrument showed dynamically the reduction in emissions/pollution for each tax level. Despite survey information about the purpose of the taxes, only 25 percent, on average, were in favour of their introduction, the rest did not know, had zero willingness to pay, or opposed the tax. In this respect, preferences for the two taxes are similar. However, on average people are willing to pay approximately 90 percent of the optimal tax for red meat, but only about 25-35 percent of toll charges on road traffic depending on fuel type. Earmarking the tax revenue for environmentally friendly technology increased acceptable tax level, but only for red meat. Earmarking tax revenues for reduced income tax did not increase the acceptable tax level. |
| Keywords: | Environmental taxes; red meat; road traffic; acceptance; willingness to pay |
| JEL: | H23 H31 Q51 Q53 Q54 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ssb:dispap:909&r=all |
| By: | Gren, Ing-Marie; Höglind, Lisa; Jansson, Torbjörn |
| Abstract: | Refunding of climate taxes on consumption of food might reduce the resistance towards the introduction of such a tax, which is necessary to achieve climate targets. This paper examines the implication of refunding a tax on consumption of food in Sweden under three refunding schemes; lump sum, in proportion to agricultural area, and payments for ecosystem services on agricultural land (carbon sink enhancement by restoration of drained peatland, biodiversity provision from increased area of grassland, and nutrient regulation by construction of wetlands). The theoretical results showed that economic and environmental conditions can improve compared with the no tax case under all three schemes, but to different farmer categories. The empirical results from a partial agricultural sector model showed that the introduction of a climate tax corresponding to the Swedish tax of 115 Euro per ton CO2e reduces total emissions by 5% without any refunding of the total tax incomes which correspond to 1.391 billion Euro. Refunding with payments for restoration of drained peatlands enhance carbon sink corresponding to 5.9 million metric tons of CO2e and results in net benefit of the tax system as a whole but not for all farmer categories. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289723&r=all |
| By: | Elisa Lanzi; Rob Dellink |
| Abstract: | Climate change and outdoor air pollution are two of the most challenging environmental issues that modern society faces. These challenges are strongly linked through their emission sources, the sectors they affect and the policies that can be implemented to reduce emissions. They also interact in the way they affect economic growth in the coming decades, although this aspect has been neglected in the literature. This paper presents the first global analysis of the joint economic consequences of climate change and outdoor air pollution to 2060, in the absence of new policies to address these challenges. A common methodology and a consistent modelling framework is used to specify the main economic interaction effects. While this paper provides a useful framework to analyse the interactions between two environmental issues in the economic system, the results need to be interpreted carefully, because of limited data availability. |
| Keywords: | air pollution, Climate change, computable general equilibrium models |
| JEL: | C68 Q54 Q53 |
| Date: | 2019–07–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:envaaa:148-en&r=all |
| By: | Lakner, Sebastian; Holst, Carsten; Pe'er, Guy |
| Abstract: | The introduction of Greening and the ecological focus area (EFA) due to the CAP-reform 2013 has introduced a new agri-environmental instrument into the CAPs first pillar, aside of the established agri-environmental and climate measures (AECM) within the second pillar. This introduction poses the questions, to what extent both instruments are collaborating to achieve positive environmental outcome. The paper presents an economic-ecological method to evaluate both EFA and AECM measures evaluation on arable land with respect to biodiversity. We investigate the effectiveness and efficiency and the spatial impact of EFA and AECM using the approximation method of the ecology score, which is based on an ecological ex-ante evaluation. The results show that EFA has taken a large area within Lower Saxony mainly with catch crops. The AECM has reduced it’s are from 2012 to 2016, however, increased its respective funds, which suggests a trend for more ‘dark green’ AECM. The spatial analysis shows that EFA achieves effects mainly in arable regions of Eastern Lower Saxony. Both measures show rather low coherence, only on 15.4% of the land we find synergetic effects of both measures. The funds per ecology score suggests, that EFA has a lower efficiency (596 EUR/ES) in comparison to AECM (307 EUR/ES). |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289800&r=all |
| By: | Brady, Mark V.; Hristov, Jordan; Wilhelmsson, Fredrik; Hedlund, Katarina |
| Abstract: | Conserving soil natural capital contributes to human welfare through its delivery of ecosystem services such as food security, water quality and climate regulation as well as providing insurance against future uncertainties, particularly climate change. However, individual farmers bear conservation costs, whereas particular services are public goods benefiting humanity generally. Consequently, farmers’ self-interested behaviour will not necessarily promote the optimal management of soil ecosystem services and underlying natural capital. Here we present a roadmap for evaluating the impacts of alternative farming practices that conserve soil ecosystem services, on farmers’ and societal welfare. The results of a Swedish case show that the value of conserving soil natural capital diverges depending on the level of decision-making: farmers or society. This is because public-good services have substantial societal value, and future flows of provisioning services have greater value to society than to current-generation farmers. We conclude that market outcomes are not likely to be generating optimal conservation of soil natural capital from society’s perspective. Innovative information systems and governance institutions are needed to guarantee the welfare of future generations. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289822&r=all |
| By: | Hildegart Ahumada; Magdalena Cornejo |
| Abstract: | Climate econometrics is a new field which is providing a fruitful approach to give a rigorous basis for many hypotheses related to climate change. With this aim, this chapter illustrates how econometrics can help understand the effects of climate change on the time behavior of crop yields at a country-level scale. We discuss different issues which empirical studies should address such as the non-stationarity nature of climate variables, the exogeneity of the variables used for modelling crop yields, the existence of non-linearities, the presence of extreme events, disentangling short and dealing with long-run effects of climate change, and collinearities in a multivariate framework. The incorporation of new lands to production or the rise of crop yields on existing lands to meet increasing demand for food and energy may be threatened by global climate change. However, there are several factors that have reduced the harmful impacts of climate change: adaptation, trade, the declining share over time of agriculture in the economy and carbon fertilization. In particular, the CO2 fertilization eect should be taken into account for certain crops. As an example, we focus on soybeans in the main producer and exporter countries: Brazil and United States, and particularly in Argentina, as an interesting case of mitigation and adaptation processes due to global and local climate changes. |
| Keywords: | climate change; econometrics; crop yields; soybeans; Argentina |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:udt:wpgobi:wp_gob_2019_2&r=all |
| By: | Arovuori, Kyösti; Lehtosalo, Heini; Kohl, Johanna; Yrjölä, Tapani; Niemi, Jyrki |
| Abstract: | This study analyses the path-dependencies of past, current and future agricultural policies. The research is based on the futures-research methodologies and foresight methods. The data was collected in a series of workshops with an aim to define path-ways for future agricultural policies in Finland. Our results show that horizontal path-dependencies of agri-environmental policies in Finland started to evolve from the 1980s. Focus has been on nutrient run-offs, soil erosion, water quality, among others. Current policy aims to take wider view based on ecosystem services. For the future policies, the main breaking-point identified is the role of agriculture in the climate change mitigation. The changing demands of future policies will challenge policy design. It is quite likely, that to respond to the increasing demand for agri-environmental policies, a shift from sector policy towards wider system-based pol-icies is required. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289687&r=all |
| By: | Duan, Hongbo; Mo, Jianlei; Fan, Ying; Wang, Shouyang |
| Abstract: | The stringency of China's energy and climate targets in 2030 and the policy needed to realize these targets are full of controversy, mainly as a result of multiple future uncertainties. This study has developed a stochastic energy-economy-environment integrated model, to assess China's energy and climate targets in 2030, with a particular focus on the carbon intensity reduction, carbon emission peaking, and non-fossil energy development. The probabilities of realizing the targets are obtained, and the nexus among different targets is explored. It's argued that carbon emission management and policy-making should be implemented from the perspective of risk management, and policy makers can take corresponding policy measures based on the degree of confidence required under multiple future uncertainties. It is found that the probabilities of realizing carbon emission-peaking target and non-fossil energy target are low, with the business-as-usual efforts, and additional policies may still be needed. More specific, carbon pricing plays a major role in curbing and peaking carbon emissions, while the policy mix of carbon pricing and non-fossil energy subsidies can peak the carbon emission with relatively low cost compared to the single carbon pricing policy. It is also found that the carbon intensity reduction target is most likely to be attained, followed by the carbon-peaking target, and then the non-fossil energy target, given the same policy efforts. This indicates that, China may not deliberately increase carbon emissions rapidly over the next decade to make the carbon emission peak as high as possible; otherwise, it may be difficult to achieve the non-fossil energy target. |
| Keywords: | Integrated assessment model; Uncertainty; INDC target; China; Carbon emission peaking Carbon pricing; Renewable energy subsidy; 71774153; 71503242; 71403263; 71690245 |
| JEL: | C63 O13 O33 O41 Q43 Q54 |
| Date: | 2018–02–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:86481&r=all |
| By: | Rui Marvão Pereira; Alfredo Marvão Pereira |
| Abstract: | Renewable energy production subsidies alleviate the pressure on electricity prices associated with carbon and energy pricing policies in the process of decarbonization and electrification of the Portuguese economy. Our simulation results show that a feed in tariffs financed by a carbon tax leads to adverse macroeconomic as well as adverse and regressive distributional welfare effects. On the flip side, however, we show that use of the carbon tax revenues to finance a feed in tariff is an improvement over the simple carbon tax case along all the relevant policy dimensions. The feed in tariff mechanism when added to the carbon tax leads to better environmental outcomes at lower costs both in terms of the economic and social justice implications. The policy implications are clear. First, because of its adverse economic and distributional effects a carbon tax should not be used in isolation. The use of the revenues to finance a feed in tariff dominates the simple carbon tax case in all dimensions. Second, the search for the appropriate recycling mechanisms in addition to feed in tariffs is an issue as relevant as the carbon tax itself as it pertains to the potential reversal of the adverse effects of such a tax. |
| Keywords: | Dynamic General Equilibrium, Renewable Energy, Feed-in Tariff, Carbon Taxation, Macroeconomic Effects, Distributional Effects, Environmental Effects, Portugal |
| JEL: | C68 E62 H23 Q43 Q48 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mde:wpaper:0123&r=all |
| By: | Michael Rauscher |
| Abstract: | The paper uses a continuous-time overlapping-generations model with endogenous growth and pollution accumulation over time to study the link between longevity and global warming. It is seen that increasing longevity accelerates climate change in a business-as-usual scenario without climate policy. If a binding emission target is set exogenously and implemented via a cap-and-trade system, the price of emission permits is increasing in longevity. Longevity has no effect on the optimal solution of the climate problem if perfect intergenerational transfers are feasible. If these transfers are absent, the impact of longevity is ambiguous. |
| JEL: | Q56 O44 O41 J11 J19 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7676&r=all |
| By: | Hart, Kaley; Baldock, David; Bas-Defossez, Faustine; Meredith, Stephen; Mottershead, David |
| Abstract: | Focussing on the European Commission’s proposals for the 2021-27 CAP, this paper looks at the opportunities they present for enhancing climate and environmental ambition in the EU, examining in particular the role that the proposed new Pillar 1 eco-scheme might play in the policy mix. It discusses some of the opportunities and risks related to its introduction including: the ability to target and tailor direct payments to environmental needs; the balance between flexibility and accountability; securing sufficient resources; the pros and cons of the two payment models permitted; annual versus multi-annual commitments; and its relationship in the green architecture with conditionality and other rural development payments. It concludes that the eco-scheme represents a change in direction for the integration of environmental goals and tools into Pillar 1 of the CAP which could act as a bridge to a more integrated and sustainable single pillar policy architecture in the future. However, it remains to be seen whether Member States are yet ready to appreciate its potential and use its flexibilities in innovative ways to promote a more ambitious environmental agenda in conjunction with other CAP measures. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289727&r=all |
| By: | Caroline Flammer |
| Abstract: | This paper studies green bonds, a relatively new instrument in sustainable finance. I first describe the market for green bonds and characterize the “green bond boom” witnessed in recent years. Second, using firm-level data on green bonds issued by public companies, I examine companies’ financial and environmental performance following the issuance of green bonds. I find that the stock market responds positively to the announcement of green bond issues. Moreover, I document a significant increase in environmental performance, suggesting that green bonds are effective in improving companies’ environmental footprint. These findings are only significant for green bonds that are certified by independent third parties, suggesting that certification is an important governance mechanism in the green bond market. I conclude by discussing potential implications for public policy. |
| JEL: | G32 Q2 Q5 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25950&r=all |
| By: | Knut Einar Rosendahl |
| Abstract: | With the new rules of the EU ETS, involving cancellation of allowances, cumulative emissions are no longer fixed but depending on the market outcome. Perino (2018) showed that additional abatement effort can reduce cumulative emissions if it occurs within a few years. This article shows that Perino’s result will be reversed, i.e., cumulative emissions increase, if the abatement effort is at a later year, or permanent. Thus, a new green paradox has emerged. |
| Keywords: | emissions trading, green paradox, EU ETS, MSR |
| JEL: | H23 Q54 Q58 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7645&r=all |
| By: | Tienhaara, Annika; Haltia, Emmi; Pouta, Eija; Arovuori, Kyösti; Grammatikopoulou, Ioanna; Miettinen, Antti; Koikkalainen, Kauko; Ahtiainen, Heini; Artell, Janne |
| Abstract: | In order to integrate ecosystem services (ES) in designing agri-environmental policy, we investigated both the demand for, and supply of, ES from agricultural environments in Finland. Using the discrete choice experiment method, we measured citizens’ willingness to pay (WTP) for four different ES and analysed farmers’ compensation request (WTA) for producing these services. Biodiversity and water quality gathered the highest WTA of farmers, but also highest WTP of citizens. Overall, the average WTA exceeded the WTP for almost all attributes and levels, but 20–27% of farmers were willing to produce the ES with the compensation lower than citizens’ WTP. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289712&r=all |
| By: | Isabelle CHORT; Maëlys DE LA RUPELLE |
| Abstract: | This paper uses state-level data on migration flows between Mexico and the U.S. from 1999 to 2011 to investigate the migration response to climate shocks and the mitigating impact of an agricultural cash-transfer program (PROCAMPO) and a disaster fund (Fonden). While lower than average precipitations increase undocumented migration, especially from the most agricultural states, Fonden amounts decrease the undocumented migration response to abnormally low precipitations during the dry season. Changes equalizing the distribution of PROCAMPO and favoring vulnerable producers in the non irrigated ejido sector mitigate the impact of droughts on migration, especially for a high initial level of inequality. |
| Keywords: | International migration ; Climate ; Public policies ; Weather variability ; Natural disasters ; Mexico-U.S. migration ; Inequality |
| JEL: | F22 J61 O15 Q18 Q54 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tac:wpaper:2018-2019_8&r=all |
| By: | Jean-Thomas Bernard (Department of Economics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON); Misbahul Islam (Government of Canada and Department of Economics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON); Maral Kichian (Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON) |
| Abstract: | The province of British Columbia, Canada, introduced a broad-based revenue-neutral carbon tax in July 2008; the rate was set to $10/tonne of CO2 initially, increased annually by $5/tonne until 2012 to reach $30/tonne, and remained at that level until 2017. We use the experience related to this unique initiative to shed some light on the controversy regarding the nature of the relationship between environmental taxes and overall economic activity. In particular, we test whether gasoline and diesel carbon taxes had any impact on GDP changes of the province, either positive or negative. Having found no evidence of asymmetry in the price impact, our analysis is conducted in the context of a standard VAR framework. We conclude that there is no statistically significant effect of carbon taxes on GDP change. The result is supported by tests on slope coefficient estimates as well as via dynamic simulations with and without carbon tax. We also find evidence of complete pass-through of carbon tax into price over time. |
| Keywords: | Environmental policies, British Columbia carbon tax, tax pass-through, vector auto-regression. |
| JEL: | H23 Q43 Q58 |
| Date: | 2018 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ott:wpaper:1812e&r=all |
| By: | Vrolijk, Hans; Poppe, Krijn |
| Abstract: | The Common Agricultural Policy post 2020 will address an increasing set of objectives, including contributing to the sustainable development goals and the Paris climate agreement. Current monitoring systems are focussed on structural and economic data and hardly cover performance indicators on the sustainability performance of farms. The EU financed FLINT project demonstrated that it is feasible to collect these sustainability data at farm level and illustrated the added value of having this type of data in a range of case studies. In this paper the costs and benefits of collecting sustainability indicators are described. Collecting the sustainability data on all farms included in FADN would increase the costs with about 40%. Large differences between countries can be observed depending on the current costs of data collection and the expected additional work to include sustainability indicators. Given the pressing need for these data a scenario is developed where sustainability data is collected on a sub-sample of 15.000 farms. This can be achieved within current budget limits if the current FADN sample would be reduced from 85 to 75 thousand farms. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289719&r=all |
| By: | De Pue, David; Buysse, Jeroen |
| Abstract: | Nitrogen deposition is one of the main environmental threats to the conservation goals in areas protected by the European Habitats Directive, a problem that is quite pronounced in the livestock-rich region of Flanders, Belgium. Livestock farms are often located close to Natura 2000 areas. Therefore, ammonia emissions from livestock housing and manure storage have a high contribution to the deposition in these nearby protected habitats. In order to control this problem, the Flemish government imposes restrictions on livestock farms with a high impact on protected habitats. Using an integrated spatially-explicit modeling approach, we were able to show that the effectiveness of this spatially-differentiated policy is rather limited in terms of the percentage of habitats in exceedance of the critical load for nitrogen. In order to obtain a good status in all habitats, emission abatement efforts should extend beyond the livestock sector. Furthermore, the policy affects some livestock subsectors more than others, while similar discrepancies are unveiled on the level of different habitat types. By means of 4 different habitat classes, the effectiveness of different policy scenarios can be easily assessed on the level of individual habitats. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289827&r=all |
| By: | Julien Wolfersberger (ECO-PUB - Economie Publique - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - AgroParisTech) |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes how structural transformation (as defined by the reallocation of economic activity across sectors) can explain the differences in pollution emissions across countries. Since pollution per unit of output differs across sectors, environmental quality can vary as a result of the rise of services at the expense of industry and in absence of environmental policy: this is the composition effect. An amended model of structural transformation is developed, where pollution is a by-product of output, and the predictions of the model are then tested empirically by studying labor reallocation and carbon emissions in 120 countries over the 1992-2014 period. The results show that different productivity growth rates across sectors drive structural transformation in the sample, and that composition is crucial to understand the differences in CO 2 emissions across countries. Importantly, I find that the importance of convergence, traditionally the main factor to explain the effect of economic growth on the environment, is lowered by more than 30% when structural transformation is taken into account. |
| Keywords: | Structural transformation,Environment |
| Date: | 2019–06–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-02156298&r=all |
| By: | Anna Naupa (Economic Affairs Officer, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Subregional Office for the Pacific, Fiji); Derek Brien (Pacific Policy Network, Vanuatu) |
| Abstract: | Often characterised as a region of relative peace due to the absence of inter-state conflicts, the Pacific island region is not immune to violent conflict. Episodes of violence, political unrest and instability have hampered development; a ‘business as usual’ approach to development does not guarantee that the Pacific will remain peaceful in the future. The link between peace and development is a central tenet of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) acknowledging the inter-connectedness between the drivers of poverty and conflict. This presents an opportunity to integrate and expand on traditional concepts of development and security. A holistic consideration of the social, economic, environmental and governance factors underpinning peaceful and prosperous societies sits at the heart of this transformation. Political and policy responses can either pave the way for peace and development—or build up tensions and, eventually, trigger conflict. |
| Keywords: | sustainable development, conflict prevention, peace, institutional policy, effective institutions, governance, climate change, Pacific small island developing States |
| JEL: | D74 E02 Q01 Q54 |
| Date: | 2018–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unt:wpmpdd:wp/18/02&r=all |
| By: | Heiko Wirths (Amprion GmbH, Dortmund, Germany) |
| Abstract: | A growing body of literature from the natural and the social sciences indicates that the rate of temperature increase is another key driver of total climate damages, next to the absolute increase in temperature compared to the pre-industrial level. Nonetheless, the damage functions employed in integrated assessment models that aim at studying the economics of climate change are usually based on the absolute temperature increase alone. Hence, these models neglect additional damag-es that will occur if the rate of temperature increase exceeds a certain threshold that overstrains the adaptive capacities of ecological and social systems. In the present paper, we implement such rate-related damages in the well-known integrated assessment model DICE-2016R. Using the resulting model variant DICE-RD we show for several different scenarios that an insufficient climate policy that ignores rate-related damages can lead to substantial economic losses. |
| Keywords: | integrated assessment, DICE model, climate policy, rate of temperature increase |
| JEL: | O44 Q54 Q58 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aug:augsbe:0337&r=all |
| By: | William A. Brock; J. Isaac Miller (Department of Economics, University of Missouri) |
| Abstract: | Assessments of decreases in economic damages from climate change mitigation typically rely on climate output from computationally expensive precomputed runs of general circulation models (GCMs) under a handful of scenarios with discretely varying targets, such as the four representative concentration pathways (RCPs) for CO2 and other anthropogenically emitted gases. Although such analyses are extremely valuable in informing scientists and policymakers about specific, well-known, and massive mitigation goals, we add to the literature by considering potential outcomes from more modest policy changes that may not be represented by any concentration pathway or GCM output. We construct computationally efficient Quasi-representative Concentration Pathways (QCPs) in order to leverage existing scenarios featuring plausible concentration pathways. Computational efficiency allows for common statistical methods for assessing model uncertainty based on iterative replication, such as bootstrapping. We illustrate by feeding two QCPs through a computationally efficient statistical emulator and dose response functions extrapolated from estimates in the recent literature in order to gauge effects of mitigation on the relative risk of heat stress mortality. |
| Keywords: | representative concentration pathways, statistical emulation, climate change mitigation, heat stress mortality |
| JEL: | C14 C33 C63 Q54 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:umc:wpaper:1904&r=all |
| By: | José L. Martínez-González; Francisco J. Beltrán Tapia |
| Abstract: | Building on Allen’s Nytrogen Hypothesis, this paper assesses the role of climate change in the English Agricultural Revolution. Our results show that, while Nitrogen-fixing plants, better cultivation and improved seeds explain half of the variation in yields, the changing climatic conditions characterizing the cooling period (1645-1715) and the subsequent warmer phase account for the remaining variation. Given that the colder and more humid climate existing during the second half of the 17th-century and early 18th-century negatively affected yields, farmers’ efforts during this period were even higher than what it is implied by the observed yields. Increasing temperatures in the next phase (starting c.1715), however, had a positive effect on agricultural productivity, so the role of the farmers in this stage has been previously over-rated. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural Revolution, England, climate, Seventeenth century |
| JEL: | N53 O13 Q10 Q54 Q55 Q57 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:seh:wpaper:1902&r=all |
| By: | Henseler, Martin; Brandes, Elke; Kreins, Peter |
| Abstract: | Microplastic pollution has recently gained the attention of the public media, politics and research. Microplastics (i.e., plastic particles less than 5mm in size) have been identified as a global environmental threat for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and human health. Agriculture is assumed to be both victim and polluter of microplastic pollution. Agricultural soils receive microplastic immissions from tire wear and fragmented macroplastic that enters the environment through littering. Furthermore, farmers who fertilize their arable land with sewage sludge and compost unintentionally apply the microplastic particles contained in these biosolids. On the other hand, agricultural soils may emit microplastics into aquatic environment. Because of this ambivalent position as both victim and polluter, the information on microplastic pollution is of current interest for agricultural production and might become a relevant topic for agro-environmental policies in the future. Our research aims to quantify the microplastic immissions into agricultural soils and emissions from agricultural soils into aquatic systems. We use different analysis approaches and interdisciplinary modelling to address these aims for two case studies in Germany. Because research in microplastics is a relatively new concern, we combine different methodological approaches in a complementary way. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289746&r=all |
| By: | Kilian Heilmann; Matthew E. Kahn |
| Abstract: | We use spatially disaggregated daily crime data for the City of Los Angeles to measure the impact of heat and pollution on crime and to study how this relationship varies across the city. On average, overall crime increases by 2.2% and violent crime by 5.7% on days with maximum daily temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4° C) compared to days below that threshold. The heat-crime relationship is more pronounced in low-income neighborhoods. This suggests that heat shocks can increase spatial urban quality of life differences through their effect on crime. We use other administrative data and find some evidence that policing intensity declines on extremely hot days. These findings highlight that the quality of urban governance during times of extreme stress may be an important policy lever in helping all socio-economic groups adapt to climate change. |
| JEL: | H41 Q53 Q54 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25961&r=all |
| By: | Wieck, Christine; Hausmann, Isabell |
| Abstract: | 232 indicators have been selected to monitor the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation (UN 2018), the European Union (EU) Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF), introduced with the aim of measuring the performance of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) implementation of the CAP reform 2014-2020, counts 45 context indicators, 84 output indicators, 41 result indicators, 24 target indicators and sixteen impact indicators (EU COM 2018). Questions such as overlap and synergies between different indicator systems, but also questions regarding the appropriate choice and targeting of chosen indicators (e.g. environmental issues or state of animal welfare) or lack of indicators for specific context and fields of controversies (e.g. external dimension of the CAP) arise. This work aims to address questions of choice, overlap and synergies across different indicator systems with a focus on CAP indicators and the SDG indicator system. Special attention is be given to the proposed agri-environmental indicators. In a comparative, descriptive analysis, we qualitatively compare the indicator systems provided for the measuring of the EU agricultural sector and SDG performance and identify synergies, overlap or lack of alignment. The results further the understanding of synergies and linkages between the indicator systems and facilitate |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289722&r=all |
| By: | Alexander, Diane (Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago); Schwandt, Hannes (Northwestern University) |
| Abstract: | Car exhaust is a major source of air pollution, but little is known about its impacts on population health. We exploit the dispersion of emissions-cheating diesel cars—which secretly polluted up to 150 times as much as gasoline cars—across the United States from 2008-2015 as a natural experiment to measure the health impact of car pollution. Using the universe of vehicle registrations, we demonstrate that a 10 percent cheating-induced increase in car exhaust increases rates of low birth weight and acute asthma attacks among children by 1.9 and 8.0 percent, respectively. These health impacts occur at all pollution levels and across the entire socioeconomic spectrum. |
| Keywords: | Car pollution; health emissions-cheating; health; pollution |
| JEL: | I10 I14 J13 K32 |
| Date: | 2019–06–13 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedhwp:wp-2019-04&r=all |
| By: | Mittenzwei, Klaus; Øygarden, Lillian |
| Abstract: | The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it gives an account of recent developments in Norwegian environmental policy that affect agriculture. Climate action and the protection of predators are two prominent examples of environmental policy with a potentially significant impact on agriculture. Secondly, we present results from a partial equilibrium model for the Norwegian agricultural sector in which we use various policy instruments to balance multiple agricultural and environmental objectives regarding agriculture. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289814&r=all |
| By: | Joseph E. Stiglitz |
| Abstract: | Recognizing the importance of the second-best nature of economies, the Stern-Stiglitz report on carbon pricing departed from the recommendation of a single carbon price for all uses at all places and times. This paper provides some of the analytics behind these recommendations. First, I analyze the circumstances in which distributional concerns make desirable a tax or regulation inducing significant reductions in carbon usage in a carbon-intensive sector for which consumers are disproportionately rich. Such policies allow lower carbon prices elsewhere without exceeding carbon emission targets. The cost of the resulting production inefficiency may, under the identified circumstances, be less than the distributional benefits. The paper considers the circumstances in which such differential policies may be best implemented through regulation vs. differential pricing, as well as differential effects on political economy and norm setting. Second, I consider the effect of carbon price trajectories on induced innovation, providing general conditions under which the optimal carbon path should, at least eventually, be falling over time. Finally, I revisit the price-versus-quantity debate and highlight important aspects of the dynamic nature of the problem. |
| JEL: | A1 H23 K32 Q52 Q54 Q55 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25939&r=all |
| By: | Bruckner, Martin; Wood, Richard; Moran, Daniel; Kuschnig, Nikolas; Wieland, Hanspeter; Maus, Victor; Börner, Jan |
| Abstract: | Primary crops are linked to final consumption by networks of processes and actors that convert and distribute food and non-food goods. Achieving a sustainable metabolism of this bio-economy is an overarching challenge which manifests itself in a number of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Modelling the physical dimensions of biomass conversion and distribution networks is essential to understanding the characteristics, drivers and dynamics of our societies' biomass metabolism. In this paper, we present the Food and Agriculture Biomass Input-Output model (FABIO), a set of multi-regional supply, use and input-output tables in physical units, that document the complex flows of agricultural and food products in the global economy. The model assembles FAOSTAT statistics reporting crop production, trade, and utilisation in physical units, supplemented by data on technical and metabolic conversion efficiencies, into a consistent, balanced, input-output framework. FABIO covers 191 countries and 130 agriculture, food and forestry products from 1986 to 2013. The physical supply-use tables offered by FABIO provide a comprehensive, transparent and flexible structure for organising data representing flows of materials within metabolic networks. They allow tracing biomass flows and embodied environmental pressures along global supply chains at an unprecedented level of product and country detail and can help to answer a range of questions regarding environment, agriculture, and trade. |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wus045:6991&r=all |
| By: | Brucal, Arlan; Javorcik, Beata; Love, Inessa |
| Abstract: | The link between foreign ownership and environmental performance remains a controversial issue. This paper contributes to our understanding of this subject by analyzing the impact of foreign acquisitions on plant-level energy intensity. The analysis applies a difference-in-differences approach combined with propensity score matching to the data from the Indonesian Manufacturing Census for the period 1983-2001 (or 1983-2008 in robustness checks). It covers 210 acquisition cases where an acquired plant is observed two years before and at least three years after an ownership change and for which a carefully selected control plant exists. The results suggest that while foreign ownership increases the overall energy usage due to expansion of output, it decreases the plant's energy intensity. Specifically, acquired plants reduce energy intensity by about 30% two years after acquisition, relative to the control plants. In contrast, foreign divestments tend to increase energy intensity. At the aggregate level, entry of foreign-owned plants is associated with industry-wide reduction in energy intensity. |
| Keywords: | FDI; Foreign acquisition; foreign divestment; energy intensity; Indonesia |
| JEL: | F21 Q56 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:101090&r=all |
| By: | Artur Santoalha; Ron Boschma |
| Abstract: | Regional diversification is a process characterized by past and place dependence: new activities tend to emerge and develop in a region in technological or industrial fields closely related to existing local activities. Recently, the relatedness concept has also been applied successfully to studies on green diversification of regions, providing new insights to the transition literature that is primarily focused on disruptive change. What has received little attention is a systematic approach that assesses the role of political support for the ability of regions to diversify into new green activities. This paper makes a first attempt to test the impact of regional capabilities and political support for environmental policy at the national and regional scale on the ability of 95 regions in 7 European countries to diversify into new green technologies during the period 2000-2012. We find evidence that related capabilities rather than political support in a region is associated with green diversification of regions in Europe. However, political support tends to moderate the role of regional capabilities. |
| Keywords: | green technologies, regional diversification, sustainability transition, political support, relatedness |
| JEL: | O18 O44 Q55 R11 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:1922&r=all |
| By: | Kounetas, Konstantinos; Stergiou, Eirini |
| Abstract: | European policies regarding global warming have been outspread the last few decades with many initiatives for industrial production process. In this paper we model eco-efficiency performance under a meta-frontier framework for 14 industries from the manufacturing sector from 27 European countries over the 1995-2011 period. The utilization of NOx, SOx, CO2, CH4, N2O, CO, NMVOC and NH3 as undesirable outputs and GVA as the desirable represent the impact of of economic activities on the environment. In the first stage, we estimate eco-efficiency using the conventional Directional Distance Function (DDF) as well as the non-radial DDF approach. In the second stage of analysis, we investigate the existence of conditional and unconditional convergence according to several methodologies. Our eco-efficiency estimates provide a distinct behavior for energy intensive European industries. Moreover, a decline occurs for the majority of them. In addition, our results using distributional dynamics approach and the recent approach of Philips and Sul (2007) supports the non-convergence hypothesis and the creation of distinct clubs. Finally, the establishment of a catch up index indicate an increase in a speed of convergence. |
| Keywords: | Eco-efficiency,Non-parametric frontier analysis, Convergence, Technological heterogeneity,European Industries. |
| JEL: | C22 C44 D2 D24 Q4 Q40 Q52 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:94286&r=all |
| By: | Ivanov, Bodjidar; Bachev, Hrabrin; Che, Shenquan; Dimitrova, Daniela; Liang, Anze; Mitova, Dilyana; Stoychev, Vasil |
| Abstract: | The research target is to analyse the development degree of the rural tourism in all its varieties in Bulgaria and China, its role for achievement of a sustainable and diversified development, as well as to assess the synergic effects of the protection and restoration of the ecologic and cultural wealth and to create a tourist product for a sustainable and viable rural development. The study was made on the base of a detailed examination of the existing Bulgarian and foreign literature in the area of the sustainable development of the tourism in rural areas. The elaborated methodology provides a reliable and complex assessment of the synergy of tourism development in rural communities on the conservation, the sustainable use of ecological and cultural resources, as well as the contribution to the overall development of the local economy. In the scientific literature and the contemporary scientific thought more attention is paid to the strengths, natural and other conditions to be turned into a driving force for preserving and vitalising rural communities. The tourism is conceived as a sector with a special promising opportunity for the development of these territories. The formation of a sustainable and recognisable tourist product in rural areas is based on multiple elements: climate, locality, sand, sea, landscape, infrastructure, hospitality, life quality, life style, health and regional specificity. For the aims of the study has been chosen two pilot municipalities in Bulgaria – Strelcha and Hissarya. Both municipalities are neighbouring geographically, but belonging to two different administrative regions – Pazardzhik and Plovdiv. The economies of the two pilot municipalities although similar, show several differences as a result of different reasons, analysed in-depth. One feature in common for both pilot regions and one of the most significant resource for the tourism development in these municipalities is the hot mineral springs. The research of the situation and the opportunity of hot water use enable making analysis of the effects and contributions of this resource for the regions. It is established that both in Bulgaria and in China, according to the particularities, similar in nature but different in form and specificity approaches have been applied to create a sustainable tourism product by creating tourist clusters based on the regional resources of the regions, which will lead to the utilisation of potential touristic capital. Wonderful prerequisites are available, which should be examined in a long-term outlook, for Bulgarian natural conditions, specific for rural areas, to become an attractive tourist product for the growing and increasingly developing demand of the Chinese tourist industry and of the rising flow of Chinese travellers. |
| Keywords: | rural tourism, agrarian and rural development, Bulgaria, China |
| JEL: | Q10 Q18 Q5 R1 R11 R2 |
| Date: | 2019–05–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:94403&r=all |
| By: | Pedro Naso |
| Abstract: | I study the economic motivations behind a reduction in the discretionary power of environmental regulators, and the impact that such reduction has on perceived corruption in South Africa. I examine the transition from the Air Pollution Protection Act of 1965 to the Air Quality Act of 2005, a change from full to partial delegation of regulation. By constructing a principal-agent model, I argue that this transition might have occurred because of an increase in the dispersion of rent-seeking motivations of public agents. This happens because, from the principal’s perspective, the possible harm— loose pollution control and misappropriation of environmental fines—generated by corrupt agents is greater than the potential benefits brought by diligent agents. In my empirical analysis, I use diff-in-diffs models for a two-period panel with 191 South African firms to show that the regulatory change decreased treated firms’ perceived corruption, but did not improve other institutional quality measures. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Regulation;Political System; South Africa; Corruption |
| JEL: | O14 O33 Q41 Q42 |
| Date: | 2019–06–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gii:ciesrp:cies_rp_59&r=all |
| By: | Niven Winchester (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research); Dominic White (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research); Catherine Leining (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research) |
| Abstract: | The public and private sectors face important strategic decisions about low-emissions transitional pathways. Such decisions require sound evidence, with input from experts and stakeholders across the board. Models can be used for evidence-based decision-making, but New Zealand has shortcomings in its capacity for climate policy analysis, particularly in comparison with other jurisdictions. These deficiencies pose a serious risk to New Zealand’s future economic development. Climate policy analysis requires assessing a wide range of factors. A multi-model approach supported by multiple providers improves consistency, coordination, and collaboration across members of the modelling community, users of modelling results, and funders of modelling. This document summarises the compelling case for developing a New Zealand ‘Climate Policy Modelling Initiative’ (CPMI). This initiative would coordinate and enhance delivery of modelling across multiple providers. This work is informed by several workshops that brought together economic modellers from a range of organisations. If supported by government leadership and commitment, the CPMI would have a transformational effect on New Zealand’s capacity to plan for a successful low-emissions future. |
| Keywords: | Greenhouse gas emissions, emissions abatement, policy analysis |
| JEL: | Q54 Q58 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mtu:wpaper:19_12&r=all |
| By: | Michiyuki Yagi (Graduate School of Business Administration, Kobe University); Katsuhiko Kokubu (Graduate School of Business Administration, Kobe University) |
| Abstract: | As an introductory analysis, this paper examines how to shift to the sustainable production in Southeast Asia (especially in Thailand). The current situation of environment and supply chain management in Southeast Asia is measly understood. This paper aims to understand the current situation and future issues with discussion of related policy issues in Southeast Asia. Research design of this study is divided into two parts; micro and macro viewpoints. From the micro viewpoint, we examine corporate disclosure and green purchasing/procurement by adopting neo-institutional theory and stakeholder theory. Regarding corporate disclosure, we use CDP data, whereas, regarding green purchasing/procurement, we use Toyokeizai corporate social responsibility data (focusing on Japanese firms). On the other hand, from the macro viewpoint, we examine the current situation following Porter hypothesis and the framework of green product development of Southeast Asian countries. Based on some macro statistics such as OECD statistics and World Bank data, we review the current situation and what should be discussed from these frameworks as remaining issues. |
| Keywords: | Repeated games; Monitoring option; Imperfect monitoring; Folk theorem |
| JEL: | C72 C73 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kbb:dpaper:2016-13&r=all |
| By: | Jansson, Torbjörn; Choi, Hyung-Sik; Nordin, Ida |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289744&r=all |
| By: | Vígh, Enikő; Miskó, Krisztina; Fogarasi, József |
| Abstract: | Agricultural ecosystems deliver food, fibre, pharmaceuticals, bioenergy and are fundamental to human wellbeing. In Hungary main measures targeting the sustainable use of agricultural land in New Hungary Rural Development Programme (NHRDP) are: Agri-Environment Payments and payments to Less Favoured Areas. Based on theoretical assumptions, the delivery of different ecosystem services (e.g. soil fertility, pest control) may be typical of one product–product connection, but farms can deliver multiple services which by themselves are produced in non-separable packages. In this study we employ a transformation function with multiple outputs and inputs, representing the maximum output producing possibility from a given input and with given conditions using generalised linear regression. Given the limited options to implement the overall policy coherence of ecosystem conservation, the presented work contributes to knowledge of decisionmakers, whose need to take into account the heterogeneity of farms and corresponding ecosystem services on farm territory. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289716&r=all |
| By: | Nguyen, Ha Trong; Le, Huong Thu; Connelly, Luke B. |
| Abstract: | This paper presents the first causal estimates of the effect of weather on children’s time allocation. It exploits exogenous variations in local weather observed during the random diary dates of two nationally representative cohorts of Australian children whose time-use diaries were surveyed biennially over 10 years. Unfavourable weather conditions, as represented by cold or hot temperature or rain, cause children to switch activities from outdoors to indoors, mainly by reducing the time allocated to active pursuits and travel and increasing the time allocated to media. Furthermore, the effects of bad weather are more pronounced on weekends and heterogeneous across different sub-groups. Our results also provide some evidence of adaptation, as temperature tends to have greater impact not only in winter months but also in colder regions. Overall, the results suggest that extreme weather conditions may diminish children’s development and long-term achievements through their effects on children’s time allocation. |
| Keywords: | Weather, time allocation, time-use diary, children |
| JEL: | J13 J22 Q54 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:94442&r=all |
| By: | Uehleke, Reinhard; Petrick, Martin; Hüttel, Silke |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289713&r=all |
| By: | Burak Alparslan Eroglu; J. Isaac Miller (Department of Economics, University of Missouri); Taner Yigit |
| Abstract: | We show that time-varying parameter state-space models estimated using the Kalman filter are particularly vulnerable to the problem of spurious regression, because the integrated error is transferred to the estimated state equation. We offer a simple yet effective methodology to reliably recover the instability in cointegrating vectors. In the process, the proposed methodology successfully distinguishes between the cases of no cointegration, fixed cointegration, and time-varying cointegration. We apply these proposed tests to elucidate the relationship between concentrations of greenhouse gases and global temperatures, an important relationship to both climate scientists and economists. |
| Keywords: | : time-varying cointegration, Kalman filter, spurious regression |
| JEL: | C12 C32 C51 Q54 |
| Date: | 2019–06–27 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:umc:wpaper:1905&r=all |
| By: | Isabel Hovdahl |
| Abstract: | One of the most important research questions in climate economics is the relationship between temperatures and human mortality. This paper develops a procedure that enables the use of machine learning for estimating the causal temperature-mortality relationship. The machine-learning model is compared to a traditional OLS model, and although both models are capturing the causal temperature-mortality relationship, they deliver very di?erent predictions of the e?ect of climate change on mortality. These di?erences are mainly caused by di?erent abilities regarding extrapolation and estimation of marginal e?ects. The procedure developed in this paper can ?nd applications in other ?elds far beyond climate economics. |
| Keywords: | Climate change, machine learning, mortality |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bny:wpaper:0077&r=all |
| By: | Robert Engle; Stefano Giglio; Heebum Lee; Bryan Kelly; Johannes Stroebel |
| Abstract: | We propose and implement a procedure to dynamically hedge climate change risk. We extract innovations from climate news series that we construct through textual analysis of newspapers. We then use a mimicking portfolio approach to build climate change hedge portfolios. We discipline the exercise by using third-party ESG scores of firms to model their climate risk exposures. We show that this approach yields parsimonious and industry-balanced portfolios that perform well in hedging innovations in climate news both in sample and out of sample. We discuss multiple directions for future research on financial approaches to managing climate risk. |
| Keywords: | climate risk |
| JEL: | G11 G18 Q54 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7655&r=all |
| By: | Balmann, Alfons; Appel, Franziska; Heinrich, Florian; Pitson, Christine |
| Abstract: | This paper argues that the question whether there is rather a need for an agricultural policy for the environment or an environmental policy for agriculture requires to reflect on the question how to address trade-offs and synergies between agricultural and environmental objectives. In particular, the question is raised to which extend current agricultural policy presumptions are based on myths rather than facts. Scepticism about these presumptions are substantiated by reference to issues related to the ignorance of the heterogeneity of the agricultural sector, of the potential of overcoming unexploited returns to size and structural changes, as well as implications of sunk costs, ruinous competition and a subsidy trap which lead to a misunderstanding of the role and meaning of resilience in order to overcome path dependences of the sector as well as the policy formations. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289689&r=all |
| By: | Gonzales Rocabado, Alejandra (IISEC, Universidad Católica Boliviana) |
| Abstract: | La deforestación en Bolivia se ha incrementado de manera considerable en los últimos años, la misma conlleva a emisiones de dióxido de carbono, pérdida de biodiversidad, variación del ciclo hidrológico, entre otras. El presente estudio tiene el objetivo de estimar el impacto de la deforestación y la de sus costos en términos monetarios. Debido a la complejidad de cada variable, se emplea distintas metodologías para cada una de ellas (emisión de dióxido de carbono, pérdida de biodiversidad y variación del ciclo hidrológico).La misma que consiste en una contabilidad de carbono y el uso del precio de carbono, además de un modelo BIOM de extrapolación de especies y el uso de elasticidad de consumo y riqueza absoluta de las especies para la cuantificación de los costos. Finalmente se hace uso de econometría espacial y el índice de escasez de agua para la variación del ciclo hidrológico. El análisis de los resultados es realizado en tres categorías: a nivel municipal, a nivel departamental y a nivel nacional para dos periodos de tiempo 1990-2000 y 2000-2010. Adicionalmente, en base a los resultados se formula conclusiones y recomendaciones sobre el costo de la deforestación en Bolivia. Los cuales determinan que el costo de la deforestación en Bolivia representa una cifra mayor al 10% del PIB de Bolivia. |
| Keywords: | Deforestación; bosques; emisiones de carbono; pérdida de biodiversidad; variación del ciclo hidrológico |
| JEL: | Q23 Q24 Q25 Q31 Q32 Q57 |
| Date: | 2019–07–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:iisecd:2019_001&r=all |
| By: | Paola Vesco (Department of Economics, University Of Venice Cà Foscari; CMCC, Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change; PRIO, Peace Research Institute Oslo); Matija Kovacic (Department of Economics, University Of Venice Cà Foscari); Malcolm Mistry (Department of Economics, University Of Venice Cà Foscari) |
| Abstract: | Recent attempts to find a robust empirical correlation between climate variability, crop production and civil conflict risk have been quite inconclusive. In this paper, we argue that the ambiguity in empirical findings may be partly due to a general tendency to treat agricultural production in absolute terms, while neglecting the importance of the relative deprivation triggered by unequal distribution in crop yields across locations and between groups. To test this hypothesis, we rely on high-resolution global gridded data on the local yield of four main crops for the period 1981-2017, and calculate the level of inequality in crop production by means of a Gini index using the grid-cell information on yearly crop yields both at the country level and between identity based groups (regional and ethnic). In addition, for each level of spatial disaggregation, we compute the Gini coefficient using information on crop production from rural grid-cells only. Our results reveal a strong and robust association between crop inequality and the probability of conflict outbreak. This effect is particularly pronounced in the case of inequality among rural areas. Climatic variability, on the other hand, is shown not to increase significantly the destabilizing effect of crop inequality. We also find that akin ethnic competition and discrimination along ethnic lines represent good predictors of conflict outbreak, especially in the case of ethnic conflicts, and when the between-group inequality in crop production is calculated along ethnic boundaries. |
| Keywords: | Agriculture, Inequality, Climate Change, Conflict |
| JEL: | D74 Q54 Q18 F51 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ven:wpaper:2019:17&r=all |
| By: | Jansson, Torbjörn; Höglind, Lisa; Andersen, Hans Estrup; Hasler, Berit; Gustafsson, Bo |
| Abstract: | We study how changes to the common agricultural policy (CAP) affect eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. Our results indicate that if the entire first pillar of the CAP, containing the direct payments, greening and accompanying measures, were to be abolished, production and agricultural land use would be reduced while yields and fertilizer use per hectare would go up. Our computations indicate that the net effect of those opposite forces would be that nitrogen and phosphorus loadings from agriculture decrease, marginally improving indicators of good ecological status for eutrophication in the Baltic Sea, and thus that the first pillar contributes to aggravating eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289745&r=all |
| By: | Hristov, Jordan; Salputra, Guna; Barreiro Hurle, Jesus; Blanco, Maria; Witzke, Peter |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289743&r=all |
| By: | Tovar Reaños, Miguel; Lynch, Muireann Á. |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:esr:wpaper:wp626&r=all |
| By: | Pierre, Guillaume; Trueck, Stefan; D'Ecclesia, Rita; Montalbano, Pierluigi |
| Abstract: | We build an index of abnormal weather conditions to study the short-run response of wheat and maize futures prices following a weather shock in Europe. As weather disruptions are not contemporaneous to the ensuing supply shock, there exist several price impact channels stemming from crop yield losses through which a climate anomaly can affect market prices. The formation and updating process of expectations of future spot prices is a key channel linking weather news and futures contract prices. Spot prices might not react contemporaneously due to contracts' rigidity and existing buffer stocks. However, advanced information on future availability can rapidly be priced in futures contracts. We estimate the average change in LIFFE wheat and maize futures contracts returns for a set of European weather events. Results suggest that later stages of the growing cycles of both wheat and maize are the most affected by abnormal weather and such impact is reflected with greater emphasis on contracts with maturities that are further away in time. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289704&r=all |
| By: | McCarthy, Jack; Bonnin, Christine; Meredith, David |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289811&r=all |
| By: | Garrone, Maria; Emmers, Dorien; Olper, Alessandro; Swinnen, Johan |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the relationship between EU agricultural subsidies, including agri-environmental subsidies, and the outflow of labor from agriculture. We use more representative subsidy indicators and a wider coverage (panel data from 210 EU regions over the period 2004-2014) than has been used before. The data allow to better correct for sample selection bias than previous empirical studies. We find that, on average, CAP subsidies reduce the outflow of labor from agriculture, but the effect is almost entirely due to decoupled Pillar I payments. Coupled Pillar I payments have no impact on reducing labor outflow from agriculture, i.e. on preserving jobs in agriculture. The impact of overall Pillar II is mixed, but agri-environmental payments strongly reduce the outflow of labor from agriculture. Our estimates predict that an increase of 10 percent of the CAP budget would prevent an extra 16,000 people from leaving the EU agriculture sector each year. A 10 percent decoupling would save 13,000 agricultural jobs each year. However, the budgetary costs are large. The estimated cost exceeds € 300,000 per year (or € 25,000 per month) per job saved in agriculture. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289831&r=all |
| By: | Pandey, Rita (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy); Sane, Renuka (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy) |
| Abstract: | In this paper we focus on how private capital may be channeled into activities that conserve biodiversity. We study three related issues. We evaluate the mechanisms for financing the environment in general. This includes a discussion of the financing through the recognition of risks, as well as direct financing. We then turn our attention to the current status of financing for biodiversity. This includes a discussion of the instruments as well as the projects that are financed by such instruments. We present the constraints that inhibit financing of biodiversity. Finally we present some suggestions on policy design for improving private financing of biodiversity in India. |
| Date: | 2019–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:npf:wpaper:19/272&r=all |
| By: | Kaltenegger, Oliver |
| Abstract: | This paper presents a novel logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) decomposition framework that is tailor-made for unit cost indicators. It adds four new models to the existing LMDI model family. The main novelty of the new framework lies in the separation of quantity and price effects captured in unit cost indicators, while retaining the same desirable properties of traditional models. Four case studies apply the novel LMDI framework to the total real unit energy costs (total RUEC) indicator. Total RUEC represents the sum of direct energy costs (for energy products) and indirect energy costs (energy costs embedded in intermediate inputs and passed on along global value chains) as a fraction of value added. This yardstick allows for monitoring shifts in the burden of energy costs on industries. The first three case studies, based on the World Input-Output Database, cover the period between 1995 and 2009. For an up-to-date analysis, a fourth case study collects additional data for 2009-2016 from energy and economic statistics' institutions. Globally, up until 2009, rising costs for crude petroleum/natural gas and the rise of China in the global economy were the largest drivers of total RUEC. In general, increases of indirect energy costs were more substantial than were those of direct energy costs. The total RUEC of Chinese car manufacturers increased much more strongly than did that of American car manufacturers. After 2009 (until 2016), prices for crude petroleum/natural gas and value added generation were major decelerating factors of global direct RUEC, while increases in energy consumption had offsetting effects. This paper provides a suitable tool to scientists who want to build on unit cost indicators in their research in general and to all policy-oriented institutions concerned with monitoring and analysing the energy transition in particular. |
| Keywords: | Logarithmic mean Divisia index,Structural decomposition analysis,Total real unit energy costs,Monitoring energy transition,Environmental-economic accounting,Multi-regional input-output analysis |
| JEL: | C43 C67 C82 E01 Q43 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:cawmdp:110&r=all |
| By: | Spyridon Stavropoulos (Erasmus University Rotterdam); Martijn J. Burger (Erasmus University Rotterdam) |
| Abstract: | By conducting a meta-analysis of the empirical literature on the net employment effects of renewable energy, we explore the extent to which the reported net employment effects are driven by the applied methodology. We find that the reported conclusions on net employment effects are to a large extent driven by the methodology that is applied, where computable general equilibrium (CGE) and I/O methods that include induced effects and studies that consider only the near future in their study period (up to 2020) are generally less optimistic about net employment creation in the wake of the energy transition. In addition, we found that policy reports have a greater tendency to report a positive net employment effect than academic studies. |
| Keywords: | renewable energy, net employment, meta-analysis, circular economy |
| JEL: | J21 Q42 |
| Date: | 2019–06–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tin:wpaper:20190044&r=all |
| By: | Feindt, Peter H. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289829&r=all |
| By: | Reiche, Colleen PhD; Brody, Frank; McGillen, Christian; Siegel, Joel; Cohen, Adam |
| Keywords: | Engineering |
| Date: | 2018–11–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt2pc8b4wt&r=all |
| By: | Ilan Noy; Cuong Nguyen; Pooja Patel |
| Abstract: | In 2011, Thailand experienced its worst flood ever. Using repeated waves of the Thai Household Survey, we analyse the flood’s economic impacts. In 2012, households answered a set of questions on the extent of flooding they experienced. We use this self-identified flood exposure, and external exposure indicators from satellite images, to identify both directly affected households and those that were not directly flooded but their communities were (the spillovers). We measure the impact of the disaster on income, expenditure, assets, debt and savings levels, directly, and indirectly on spillover households. We also analyse the flood’s impacts across different socio-economic groups. |
| Keywords: | disaster, flood, Thailand, economic impact |
| JEL: | O12 Q54 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7644&r=all |
| By: | Kuhfuss, Laure; Begg, Graham; Flanigan, Sharon; Hawes, Cathy; Piras, Simone |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289774&r=all |
| By: | Hübler, Michael; Schwerhoff, Gregor |
| Abstract: | This article introduces a new Melitz-type model of heterogeneous producers with decreasing returns to scale and different productivities. Different to previous models, it describes smallholder producers in rural areas of developing countries in the context of environment and development economics. The model enables a socially sensitive policy analysis considering poverty and distributional effects. In this model, the production input causes a negative environmental externality. External shocks, e.g., caused by climate change, and economic policies affect the producers' endogenous choice between market entry or exit and between simple or advanced technology. In the frst step, various shocks and policies are analyzed theoretically. A novel type of the rebound effect (Jevons paradox) is identifed for the production input that occurs when market entry is incentivized by productivity improvements. In the second step, the model is calibrated by applying it to coffee production in rural Vietnam. The simulation results show that secondary effects of the shocks, such as employment effects, can be substantially larger than the original impact. The support of market entry or of the advanced technology creates adverse distributional effects. |
| Keywords: | heterogeneous producers, technology choice, climate change, coffee, Vietnam |
| JEL: | O33 Q12 Q17 Q54 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:han:dpaper:dp-655&r=all |
| By: | Daniel Albalate (Universitat de Barcelona, Departament d’Estadística, Econometria i Economia Aplicada, Avda. Diagonal 690, 08034 (Barcelona) Grup de Recerca en Governs i Mercats (GiM), Institut de Recerca en Economia Aplicada (IREA). Observatory of Analysis and Evaluation of Public Policies.); Albert Gragera (Technical University of Denmark, Department of Management Engineering, Produktionstorvet Building 426, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark. Observatory of Analysis and Evaluation of Public Policies, Universitat de Barcelona.) |
| Abstract: | Car ownership is a major driver of household travel behavior and has a marked impact on transport demand, energy consumption, emission levels and land use. However, just how curbside parking regulations (i.e. paid parking) affects car ownership remains unclear. Here, we employ a two-way fixed effect model using panel data and difference-in-differences estimations to determine the causal impact of changes in parking regulations and the specific impact of the extension of a city-wide parking policy in Barcelona. Our results suggest that the introduction of paid parking to reduce non-resident/visitor demand has a positive impact on resident car ownership levels. Our welfare analysis suggests that the welfare loss derived from the residents’ parking subsidy and their likely increase in car usage can easily offset the benefits derived from visitor-trip deterrence. This being the case, the tradeoff between efficiency and acceptability requires careful consideration. |
| Keywords: | parking regulations, car ownership, policy evaluation, difference-in-differences. JEL classification:H42, L91, L98, R41, R42, R48. |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:201909&r=all |
| By: | Birkenstock, Maren; Röder, Norbert |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289703&r=all |
| By: | Ciliberti, Stefano; Frascarelli, Angelo |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289825&r=all |
| By: | Roshanak Azarafshar (Department of Economics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON) |
| Abstract: | This study aims to find the effects of financial point of sales incentives on the sales of electric vehicles across the Canadian provinces from September 2012 to December 2016. My findings indicate that purchase incentives cause the sales of new electric vehicles to increase by 8 percent on average due to a $1000 increase in incentives. I find that 47% of electric vehicle sales across the rebating provinces (Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia) are attributed to the purchase incentives. Results of the counter-factual simulations imply that the cost of eliminating one tonne of carbon emissions across the provinces that offer incentives over the years of my study is, on average, $216/tonne CO2. |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ott:wpaper:1901e&r=all |
| By: | Wang, Ruixue; Rejesus, Roderick M.; Tack, Jesse B.; Balagtas, Joseph V.; Nelson, Andy |
| Abstract: | This study examines the relationship between yields of modern rice varieties and three major weather variables | maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and precipitation. Data from a long-running farm-level survey in the Philippines, with rich information on planted rice varieties, allows us to estimate fixed effect econometric models of rice yields. We find that increases in temperature, especially minimum temperatures, have substantial negative impacts on rice yields. Yield response to temperatures vary across different varietal groups. Early modern varieties, bred primarily for higher yields, pest resistance, and/or grain quality traits, demonstrate improved heat-stress resistance relative to traditional varieties. Moreover, the most recent varietal group bred for better tolerance to abiotic stresses are even more resilient to warming temperatures. These results provide some evidence that public investments in breeding rice varieties more tolerant to warming temperatures have been successful, and continued investments in these breeding efforts are warranted. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289720&r=all |
| By: | Achyuta Adhvaryu; Prashant Bharadwaj; James Fenske; Anant Nyshadham; Richard Stanley |
| Abstract: | Using two decades of data from twelve low-income countries in West Africa, we show that dust carried by harmattan trade winds increases infant and child mortality. Health investments respond to dust exposure, consistent with compensating behaviors. Despite these efforts, surviving children still exhibit negative health impacts. Our data allow us to investigate differential impacts over time and across countries. We find declining impacts over time, suggesting adaptation. Using national-level measures of macroeconomic conditions and health resources, we find suggestive evidence that both economic development and public health improvements have contributed to this adaptation, with health improvements playing a larger role. |
| JEL: | I18 J13 O13 Q53 |
| Date: | 2019–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25937&r=all |
| By: | Giannakis, Elias; Kushta, Jonilda; Georgiou, George K.; Bruggeman, Adriana; Lelieveld, Jos |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–06–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289718&r=all |
| By: | Puzon, Klarizze (Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University); Willinger, Marc (University of Montpellier) |
| Abstract: | We study experimentally a two-stage common pool resource game. In the first stage, selected members of the group determine the level of protection for the resource. The protected fraction of the resource is equally shared among group members. In the second stage, the unprotected fraction of the resource is competed for. We consider three institutions varying in the extent by which subjects participate in the first stage: vote (all group members participate), dictator (only one member decides), and outsider (no one participates). We also vary the initial level of the resource: scarce or abundant. We establish the following results. First, we find that voting provides more frequent protection and leads to higher protection levels than other institutions. Second, collective rent-seeking is larger when the level of the resource is high, but this tendency is sharply reduced in the presence of democratic institutions. Third, collective rent-seeking is negatively affected by the level of protection, but significantly so only when the highest protection level is implemented. These experimental results are stronger in the case of a resource boom than in the case of a resource bust. |
| Keywords: | voting; commons; natural resources; property rights; experiments |
| JEL: | C90 D02 D72 P48 |
| Date: | 2019–06–26 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:slucer:2019_009&r=all |
| By: | Zulfiya Suleimenova (Ph.D. Candidate, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)) |
| Abstract: | The dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the emergence of new states in Central Asia and the Caucasus created new political and security dynamics in these sub-regions. While the Caucasus was affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the threat of conflict over shared water resources continued to exist in Central Asia. More than twenty years later, the protracted conflict in the Caucasus over Nagorno-Karabakh remains unresolved and effectively overshadows water-related problems; yet water is both a very important factor in the conflict, as well as potentially one of the keys for its resolution. In Central Asia the pessimistic scenarios did not unfold; however, the region remains a ‘classic example’ of water-related conflicts in most literature. This paper aims at understanding the root causes of water conflict in Central Asia, and the role of water in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the Caucasus. It attempts to shed light at the complex nature of water security, and its importance in the states’ security and sustainable development. The paper suggests that given a cross-cutting nature of water resources, there should be a more holistic approach to understanding the drivers of water conflict in both sub-regions, and to finding the ways for its resolution. A number of recommendations have been provided that may be utilized for addressing the complexity of water conflicts and to help in establishing a mutually beneficial cooperation between states. |
| Keywords: | water security, water conflict, water cooperation |
| JEL: | F51 Q25 Q34 |
| Date: | 2018–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unt:wpmpdd:wp/18/01&r=all |
| By: | Patrick Meyer; Grégory Ponthiere |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eru:erudwp:wp19-18&r=all |
| By: | Giovanni Compiani (University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business); Philip A. Haile (Cowles Foundation, Yale University); Marcelo Sant'Anna (FGV EPGE) |
| Abstract: | In a "common values" environment, some market participants have private information relevant to others' assessments of their own valuations or costs. Economic theory shows that this type of informational asymmetry can have important implications for market performance and market design. Yet even for the classic example of an oil lease auction, formal evidence on the presence and strength of common values has been limited by the problem of auction-level unobserved heterogeneity that is likely to affect both participation in an auction and bidders' willingness to pay. Here we develop an empirical approach for first-price sealed bid auctions with affiliated values, unobserved heterogeneity, and endogenous bidder entry. We show that important features of the model are nonparametrically identified and apply a semiparametric estimation approach to data from U.S. offshore oil and gas lease auctions. Our empirical results show that common values, affiliated private information, and unobserved heterogeneity - three distinct phenomena with different implications for policy and empirical work - are all present. Failing to account for unobserved heterogeneity obscures the empirical evidence of common values. We examine the implications of our estimates for the classic revenue ranking of sealed bid auction designs, and for the interaction between affiliation, the winner's curse, and the number of bidders in determining the aggressiveness of bidding and seller revenue. |
| Date: | 2018–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:2137r&r=all |
| By: | Simon Porcher (IAE - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises) |
| Abstract: | Water taxes are employed to correct externalities associated with water pollution or resource scarcity and to raise government revenue. In this paper, using a dataset on more than 4,000 French municipalities, we directly examine how water taxes affect consumer behavior as distinct from tax-exclusive water prices. Our analysis shows that a 10-cent tax increase reduces water consumption by 0.26 percent, similarly to a 10-cent increase in the tax-exclusive water price. The responsiveness of consumers to tax and tax-exclusive price is important because it gives information about consumers' sensitivity to policy interventions versus market prices. |
| Keywords: | Externalities,Water Utilities |
| Date: | 2019–06–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-02145848&r=all |
| By: | Ben Fradj, Nosra; Jayet, Pierre-Alain; Rozakis, Stelios; Georganta, Eleni; Arampatzi, Panagiota; Jedrejek, Ania; Kozak, Malgorzata |
| Abstract: | This paper aims to assess the impacts of 2013 CAP reform in Poland. We provide a comprehensive approach to modelling crop diversification options at farm group level. Belonging to the category of mathematical programming tools, AROPAj model is used to determine the number and mix of crops that may be efficiently cultivated. We consider an energy fast-growing plantation, i.e, willow, to enlarge the potential number of eligible crops. In this respect, we explore the impacts of crop diversification when the number crop limit and the payment benefiting areas planted with willow vary. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289820&r=all |
| By: | Cornelius Christian (Department of Economics, Brock University) |
| Abstract: | I find that favourable temperatures predict more witchcraft trials in Early Mod- ern Scotland (1563-1727), a largely agricultural economy. During this time, witchcraft was a secular crime, and it was incumbent on local elites to commit resources to trying witches. My main empirical specification survives various robustness checks, including accounting for outliers. Turning to mechanisms, I find that positive price shocks to export-heavy, taxable goods predict more witch trials, while price shocks to Scotland’s main subsistence commod- ity, oats, do not. This is consistent with the explanation that as elite income increased, more resources were devoted to witchcraft prosecutions; I cite anecdotal evidence that a different proceeding, sexual trials in Aberdeen, experienced a similar trend. |
| Date: | 2017–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:brk:wpaper:1704&r=all |
| By: | Abbassian, Lindsay; Vousden, Paul; Coulter, Alice; Rajatileka, Shavanthi; Burton, Jonathan |
| Abstract: | ISER commissioned Kantar to conduct in-depth interviews with UnderstandingSociety participants to explore views on the acceptability of requesting a stoolsample and to gather feedback on prospective study materials. Researchers used asemi-structured discussion guide and a range of stimulus materials during thediscussions.Participants’ views on providing a stool sample fell along a spectrum of more to lessacceptable, with three broad groups emerging – ‘Willing’, ‘On the fence’, and ‘Notwilling’. The three groups had similar and overlapping information needs, specificallyan interest in the wider purpose of the study and more detail about collecting thesample. |
| Date: | 2019–06–28 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ese:ukhlsp:2019-05&r=all |
| By: | Holst, Carsten |
| Abstract: | Using official data from the farm structure surveys 2010 and 2016 for roughly 10,000 German farms specialised on arable farming we analyse the effects of structural change on participation in agri-environmental programmes by estimation of a multinomial logit model. Large farms participating in 2010 tend more often than smaller farms to stop participation by 2016. However, farm growth steps increase the probability to continue or start with participation in 2016. Younger farmers are more likely to participate than older farmers, unless the latter are sure to have a successor. Farms on which generational renewal took place between 2010 and 2016 show statistically significant increases in the probability to continue or start with agri-environmental commitments. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2019–05–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaa172:289742&r=all |