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on Mining |
| By: | Robert J. R. Eliott; Gavin D. J. Harper; Viet Nguyen-Tien |
| Abstract: | Electric vehicles (EVs) are central to decarbonising road transport, a sector responsible for 23% of global energy-related emissions, and their adoption carries both economic and societal implications. This paper provides an economic review of EV transitions, synthesizing theory, stylized facts, and frontier empirical findings. We document three key observations: EV adoption has historically occurred in waves that stalled and revived; contemporary adoption is highly heterogeneous across countries; and the transition reshapes automotive sector activities and supply chains, increasing reliance on geographically concentrated critical minerals and generating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and political economy challenges. We then analyze the economic drivers of adoption, including total cost of ownership, network externalities, and complementary technologies such as charging infrastructure, grid integration, and digital innovations. Supply-side constraints, resource scarcity, and innovation dynamics are examined, highlighting how the EV platform interacts with broader technological and industrial systems. The analysis emphasizes the systemic, path-dependent, and platform nature of EV transitions and outlines policy-relevant insights for managing adoption, supply chains, and innovation. Finally, we identify avenues for future research, including the economics of end-of-life and used EVs, resilient supply chains, and the role of complementary technologies in accelerating low-carbon transitions. |
| Keywords: | Electric vehicles, critical materials, supply chains |
| Date: | 2026–03–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2164 |
| By: | Schulze, Meike |
| Abstract: | African governments are entering the geopolitical competition over critical raw materials with a growing sense of strategic confidence. While the AU-EU Summit in Luanda in November 2025 reaffirmed political commitments on both sides, European initiatives continue to lose ground. It is true that the Critical Raw Materials Act has expanded the EU's diplomatic footprint; however, its limited project pipeline and fragmented financing under the Global Gateway have left the bloc unable to match the speed and scale of competing offers notably from China, the Gulf States and the US. African partners expect cooperation on industrial projects and deeper integration into value chains. With stronger internal coordination and increased financing under the next Multiannual Financial Framework, the EU can strengthen both its ability to deliver and its credibility. |
| Keywords: | African Green Minerals Strategy (AGMS), African Union (AU), AU-EU summit, Critical Raw Materials Act, Global Gateway, China, Gulf states, value chains, Multiannual Financial Framework |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:swpcom:338236 |
| By: | Véronique Pouillard (UiO - University of Oslo, EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School); Kristin Ranestad |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the diamond extraction and commerce in South Kasaï, a key diamond-producing region in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Focusing on the late colonial years through the post-independence militarization of the province in 1964, the article examines the role of the multinational firms Forminière and Bécéka in consolidating control over diamond resources. Drawing on archival materials from both firms, held in the Sibeka archives (after the postcolonial renaming of these operations), we analyze how these firms exploited Congo's extractive institutions, contributing to violence and state fragility. Shortly after the Congo gained independence on June 30, 1960, South Kasaï declared secession from the new republic and remained a semiautonomous entity until 1962. Despite the ban on artisanal mining by the multinationals present in the region and by the South Kasaï provincial authorities, clandestine mining increased and started fostering the cross-border trade in diamonds, creating alternative circuits of commerce outside the monopoly of the De Beers international cartel. Against this backdrop, our findings show a 'cycle of repression', in which multinational management employed corruption, local exploitation, and violent measures to suppress artisanal mining and maintain dominance. We argue that the transition to independence intensified legal pluralism and informal mining cultures, undermining state authority and reinforcing the 'resource curse' framework. The paper contributes to debates on natural resources, extractive institutions, and conflict, offering a microhistorical perspective on diamond mining and its implications for Congolese governance. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05521275 |
| By: | Fabio Artuso (ADB - Asian Development Bank); Julian L Clarke (ADB - Asian Development Bank); Lionel Fontagné (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris); Mahdi Ghodsi (WIIW - Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche); Gianluca Santoni (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris) |
| Abstract: | Non-tariff measures (NTMs), especially sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBTs), have become crucial components of climate, industrial, and regulatory policy, impacting the majority of global trade. However, quantifying their effects on trade is challenging because NTMs are usually non-discriminatory and challenging to identify in standard gravity frameworks. Using a multistage structural gravity estimation strategy combined with a control-function correction for endogeneity, we estimate the trade elasticities and ad valorem equivalents of NTMs at the HS6 level for over 5, 000 products. Our results reveal significant heterogeneity in NTM trade costs, especially in environmentally relevant sectors, such as clean technologies and electric vehicles. These estimates can inform regulatory impact assessments and general-equilibrium analyses of climate-aligned trade policies. |
| Keywords: | Non-tariff measures, Ad valorem equivalents, Environmental goods, Critical minerals |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:cesptp:halshs-05545520 |
| By: | Stapleton, Fergal; Mendoza, Lucia Vázquez; Galván, Edgar |
| Abstract: | Without immediate intervention, global warming will have devastating consequences on the environment for future generations; as such, there is an urgent need to adopt more sustainable economic practices like the Circular Economy (CE). Although several policies and regulations support this goal, such as the European Green Deal, Ireland consistently ranks among the poorer-performing countries in CE adoption. One of the Irish sectors that contributes the most to this is the construction sector, where the built environment constitutes 30-40% of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. With this in mind, a comprehensive synthesis of the diverse range of barriers and enablers to CE adoption is crucial for developing targeted strategies to improve Ireland’s CE performance and contribute effectively to the sustainability goals. This study comprehensively analyses CE and the built environment in Ireland, drawing from impactful articles, white papers, and reports. This study reveals that key barriers to CE adoption in Ireland’s built environment include pervasive issues in material and waste management, leading to a high material footprint, low Circular Material Use Rate (CMUR), and inadequate recycling of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW). Critical policy and regulatory shortcomings were identified, particularly the insufficient focus on Whole Life Carbon (WLC) assessment and practical support for Design for Disassembly (DfD). Furthermore, the digitalisation necessary to underpin CE is significantly hampered by a lack of integrated data frameworks, skills gaps, and clear standards. Crucial enablers identified involve strategic policy reforms to stimulate secondary material markets and mandate WLC, the advancement of digital tools such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) for CE and shared material databases, and fostering widespread adoption of DfD principles alongside targeted decarbonisation strategies appropriate for the Irish context. |
| Date: | 2026–02–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:sp9yq_v1 |
| By: | Könneke, Jule; Adolphsen, Ole |
| Abstract: | The fossil-fuel foreign policy of the United States under President Donald Trump has intensified the conflict between petrostates and electrostates in international climate politics. At COP30 in Belém in November 2025, this cleavage was particularly evident in the dispute over a roadmap for the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF). While an increasing number of countries regard TAFF as a necessary consequence of the global energy transition, fossil fuel producers prevented any substantive progress being made. The conference highlighted the structural limits of the capacity of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to mediate this distributional conflict. As a result, the EU faces a strategic dilemma: to further politicise the COP process around TAFF or to prioritise the stabilisation of key mechanisms of the Paris Agreement. Whether it can overcome that dilemma will become apparent during the run-up to the next global stocktake, which is due at COP33 in India in 2028. |
| Keywords: | global warming, fossil-fuel foreign policy, Donald Trump, Transition Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF), COP30, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), Paris Agreement, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:swpcom:338233 |
| By: | Ballbach, Eric J. |
| Abstract: | Germany is facing a security policy Zeitenwende whose industrial dimension has not yet been sufficiently addressed. The war in Ukraine, rising military threats in Europe, and the long-term underfunding of the German Armed Forces have exposed the limits of existing defence industrial capacity, while the reliability of the United States (US) as a security guarantor is increasingly uncertain. This creates a strategic need for Germany to quickly rebuild its defence industrial base. Yet, despite the increased demand and funding, German defence industries are struggling to scale production quickly, exposing capability gaps that endanger both national defence and NATO commitments. In this context, cooperation with South Korea gains strategic relevance, as plans for localised production by Korean defence firms in Germany could ease bottlenecks, shorten supply chains, and enhance operational readiness without creating new strategic dependencies. |
| Keywords: | German defence industries, Germany's defence industrial base, German defence market, South Korean defence industry, defence supply chains, defence production, military equipment, armaments, defence industrial cooperation, Germany, South Korea, European Union, EU, Nato, NATO |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:swpcom:338232 |
| By: | Benner, Niklas; Blagov, Boris; Dirks, Maximilian W. |
| Abstract: | This study introduces the World Index of Political Instability (WIPI), a novel high-frequency measure that covers four dimensions of political instability in 182 countries, available from 1960 until 2024. Our measure is extracted from the curated texts of the Economist Intelligence Unit's Country Reports using text mining techniques, allowing us to track political instability on a high frequency while matching various established low-frequency proxies. We show that political instability has significant and negative short-run effects on the economy similar to a demand-side shock. In contrast to uncertainty shocks, the observed effects are not immediate but take up to one year until they materialize. The measured effects are stronger in low-income economies than in high-income economies and during recessionary periods. |
| Abstract: | Diese Studie stellt den World Index of Political Instability (WIPI) vor, einen neuartigen, hochfrequenten Indikator, der vier Dimensionen politischer Instabilität in 182 Ländern abdeckt und für den Zeitraum von 1960 bis 2024 verfügbar ist. Unser Indikator wird mithilfe von Text-Mining-Techniken aus den kuratierten Texten der Länderberichte der Economist Intelligence Unit extrahiert, wodurch wir politische Instabilität mit hoher Frequenz verfolgen und gleichzeitig verschiedene etablierte niedrigfrequente Proxies abgleichen können. Wir zeigen, dass politische Instabilität erhebliche und negative kurzfristige Auswirkungen auf die Wirtschaft hat, ähnlich wie ein Nachfrageschock. Im Gegensatz zu Unsicherheitsschocks sind die beobachteten Auswirkungen nicht unmittelbar, sondern treten erst nach bis zu einem Jahr ein. Die gemessenen Auswirkungen sind in Volkswirtschaften mit niedrigem Einkommen stärker als in Volkswirtschaften mit hohem Einkommen und während Rezessionsphasen. |
| Keywords: | Political Instability, Business Cycle Fluctuation, Panel Local Projection, Text Mining |
| JEL: | C23 C55 O43 Z18 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:338082 |
| By: | Massimo Cervesato (Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) |
| Abstract: | Property rights are central to studies of natural resource governance, as they shape both our understanding of resource use and our capacity to act upon it. A key issue lies in the coexistence of characteristics typically associated with the public sphere (non-excludability of the resource) and others associated with the private sphere (subtractability of the resource). Ostrom thus suggests that common property consists of “essentially share contracts.” This, however, raises a fundamental question: what distinguishes such a regime from a mere aggregation of individual property rights? To address this, we return to the foundations of Ostrom’s framework, which draw on the institutionalist theory of John R. Commons. While much of the literature has focused on the notion of ‘bundles of rights, ’ we argue that further insights can be gained from Commons’s conception of legal relations. Combined with Ostrom’s emphasis on language, common property can be understood as an emergent phenomenon arising from the complex relations that constitute the commons, rather than a formal aggregation of distinct private properties. This perspective ultimately highlights the central role of informality in such regimes, explaining their difficult incorporation into modern legal systems |
| Keywords: | Common Property Rights; Commons; Ostrom (Elinor); Complexity;Institutionalist Theory |
| JEL: | D02 P48 B52 Q20 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mse:cesdoc:26005 |