|
on Mining |
| By: | Alessandra Manzini (CY - CY Cergy Paris Université); Irina Martynova; Jing Yu; Xiaoyu Bi; Jordi Jacas Biendicho; Jordi Arbiol; Qing Sun; Chaoqi Zhang; Andreu Cabot |
| Abstract: | The global transition toward efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective energy storage is accelerating, driven by efforts to decarbonize key sectors. Among emerging technologies, sulfur-based conversion cathodes have garnered significant attention as promising candidates for next-generation batteries due to their exceptional theoretical energy density, low cost, and material abundance. Their successful deployment could advance critical applications, including electric mobility, renewable energy integration, and grid stabilization. Despite this potential, sulfur cathodes face persistent limitations that have prevented commercialization. Unlike reviews focusing primarily on materials innovations in idealized settings, this work provides a critical, user-focused assessment that prioritizes challenges of scalable manufacturing and operation under practical conditions. We analyze fundamental failure mechanisms under realistic parameters, including high sulfur loading, lean electrolyte, and limited lithium anode excess, that cause performance to diverge dramatically from target metrics. By synthesizing recent advancements in mechanistic understanding, host design, and interface engineering, we identify key bottlenecks hindering large-scale production. The review concludes with strategic pathways spanning materials design, device architecture, and market integration to bridge the gap between laboratory research and real-world application.The global push toward electrification and substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions is intensifying the need for sustainable technological solutions across the automotive sector and other energy-intensive industries. In this context, energy storage plays a pivotal role, serving as a critical enabler for low-carbon transportation, renewable energy integration, and grid resilience. The rapidly increasing demand for high-performance, scalable, and environmentally sustainable energy storage systems underscores the urgency of selecting appropriate battery technologies. This requires careful consideration of battery chemistries that can satisfy both short-term performance targets and long-term resource, cost, and sustainability constraints.At present, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) dominate the energy storage market, with cell costs averaging approximately €110/kWh 1-3 . However, the pricing of LIBs remains highly sensitive to fluctuations in the cost of critical raw materials such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium, which have experienced significant volatility, reaching a peak in 2022 followed by a notable decline in 2024 4 . While recent reductions in raw material prices have temporarily eased cost pressures, this downward trend is not expected to be sustainable.Upstream supply chains are facing increasing strain, and projections indicate that future mineral demand will substantially exceed historical levels 5 . Achieving global decarbonization targets will require a sharp rise in the production of key metals such as cobalt, copper, tin, and zinc. However, expanding supply is hindered by long project lead times, declining ore grades, and increasing geopolitical and environmental constraints 5 . Establishing a stable and equitable pricing environment that ensures upstream viability while maintaining downstream affordability is therefore essential to support the continued growth and sustainability of LIB technologies. At the same time, these structural limitations highlight the urgent need to diversify battery chemistries by exploring alternative systems based on more earthabundant, geopolitically secure, and cost-effective materials to enhance the long-term resilience and scalability of energy storage infrastructure.Battery manufacturers and end users must remain agile in adapting to rapidly evolving technologies, supply chain limitations, and shifting market dynamics 1 . Battery cost continues to be a critical determinant of the competitiveness and scalability of energy storage systems. Affordable electric vehicles (EVs) offering long range, rapid charging, and robust safety, along |
| Keywords: | Batteries, Next generation, Technology, Sulfur cathodes, Critical Raw Materials CRM |
| Date: | 2026–04–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05618205 |
| By: | Ikonnikova, Svetlana; Steinbuks, Jevgenijs |
| Abstract: | This study introduces a novel quantitative method to assess the willingness to pay for emerging technologies, such as hydrogen, as substitutes for fossil fuels in industrial production. A three-step framework is developed to derive the willingness-to-pay function based on industrial competition and market entry theory, relying exclusively on pre-entry market information. First, a system of equations is specified linking domestic consumption, production, and prices to fossil input prices, which proxy marginal production costs. Second, the market equilibrium parameters required for numerical willingness-to-pay estimation are empirically estimated using industry-level data. Third, an industrial competition model incorporating entry by producers adopting new technology is constructed, allowing willingness to pay to be expressed as a function of conventional input costs, operational efficiency, and demand conditions. The framework is applied to hydrogen use in ammonia production, using consumption and trade data from 2000–24 for 16 major fertilizer-producing countries across four regions. The results highlight substantial cross-country heterogeneity, a binding hydrogen price threshold for large-scale adoption, and the limited effectiveness of carbon policies in accelerating hydrogen uptake. |
| Date: | 2026–03–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:11338 |
| By: | Isabella Gourevich |
| Abstract: | Recycling and waste trade are increasingly important for mitigating supply risks and en-vironmental concerns associated with raw material imports, yet little is known about the economic and technical potential for substitution between recycled and virgin materials. This paper estimates material-specific cross-price elasticities of substitution using novel global trade data for major recyclable materials from 2013 to 2023, instrumenting vir-gin-material prices with export restrictions. Results show substantial heterogeneity across materials: those with established recycling technologies respond strongly to price incentives, while others display limited substitutability, highlighting the role of technolog-ical feasibility beyond economic viability. Using the estimated elasticities, I evaluate the policy mix required to meet the EU’s 25 percent recycled-content target and document a central misalignment between circular-economy goals and climate-optimal policy. |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ifowps:_427 |
| By: | Victoire Girard; Edouard Pignede |
| Abstract: | The past three decades have witnessed a dramatic expansion of artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASgM), transforming the economic and spatial opportunities of tens of millions of people. We show how this transformation has shaped urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa since 1975. Our empirical strategy exploits plausibly exogenous variation in ASgM activity driven by the interaction between international gold-price shocks and local geological suitability for artisanal extraction, and combines it with new continent-wide data on urban population, nighttime lights, and household welfare. Although ASgM is commonly viewed as a rural activity, we find that ASgM exposure significantly accelerates urbanization, accounting for roughly five percent of total urban population growth. This expansion takes the form of extensive, decentralized urbanization: new towns emerge in remote, infrastructure-poor areas, while the growth of pre-existing towns and cities does not accelerate. Both new and existing urban entities exposed to ASgM exhibit lower living standards and limited industrial activity. Overall, ASgM contributes to a fragmented pattern of urbanization without structural transformation. |
| Keywords: | Urbanization, Artisanal and small-scale mining, Gold, Spatial development |
| JEL: | O13 O55 Q32 R11 R12 R14 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unl:novafr:wp2601 |
| By: | Goldberg, Pinelopi; Juhász, Réka; Lane, Nathan; Lo Forte, Giulia; Thurk, Jeff |
| Abstract: | The resurgence of subsidies and industrial policies has raised concerns about their potential inefficiency and alignment with multilateral principles. Critics warn that such policies may divert resources to less efficient firms and provoke retaliatory measures from other countries, leading to a wasteful “subsidy race.” However, subsidies for sectors with inherent cross-border externalities can have positive global effects. This paper examines these issues within the semiconductor industry: a key driver of economic growth and innovation with potentially significant learning-by-doing and strategic importance due to its dual-use applications. Our study aims to: (1) document and quantify recent industrial policies in the global semiconductor sector, (2) explore the rationale behind these policies, and (3) evaluate their economic impacts, particularly their cross-border effects, and compatibility with multilateral principles. We employ historical analysis, natural language processing, and a model-based approach to measure government support and its impacts. Our findings indicate that government support has been vital for the industry’s growth, with subsidies being the primary form of support. They also highlight the importance of cross-border technology transfers through FDI, business and research collaborations, and technology licensing. China, despite significant subsidies, does not stand out as an outlier compared to other countries, given its market size. Model estimates suggest the presence of learning-by-doing at the firm-product level as well as economies of scope within a firm and substantial cross-border learning spillovers. These spillovers likely reflect cross-country technology transfers and the role of fabless clients and input suppliers in disseminating knowledge globally through their interactions with foundries. Such cross-border spillovers are not merely accidental but result from deliberate actions by market participants that cannot be taken for granted. Firms may choose to share knowledge across borders or restrict access to frontier technology, thereby excluding certain countries. Future research will use model estimates to simulate the quantitative implications of subsidies and to explore the dynamics of a “subsidy race” in the semiconductor industry. |
| Keywords: | semiconductors; industrial policy; subsidies; learning-by-doing; multilaterism |
| JEL: | F13 L63 N60 O38 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:138525 |
| By: | OECD |
| Abstract: | This paper examines how subsidies affect competitive outcomes in the global steel industry. Using firm-level data from the OECD MAGIC database covering 2006–2022, the analysis assesses the relationship between government support and market-share developments across steel producers worldwide. Econometric results indicate that subsidies increase recipients’ global market share at the expense of less-subsidised competitors. Firms receiving larger support through cash grants and below-market borrowings tend to gain market share even when they exhibit weaker productivity, cost efficiency and financial performance: subsidies weaken the normal link between firm performance and market-share gains. The analysis also identifies negative spill-overs on competing firms, implying that support granted to some producers can reduce rivals’ market shares and discourage investment by unsubsidised firms. The results are consistent across OECD Members and partner economies, although subsidisation levels are significantly higher in the latter and hence the dampening of market signals is even more pronounced there. Overall, the evidence suggests that subsidies contribute to resource misallocation, persistent steel excess capacity and shifts in global competitive positions. These findings highlight the importance of greater transparency in industrial support and stronger international cooperation to reduce distortions and support a more level playing field in the global steel sector. |
| Keywords: | below-market finance, cash grants, distortions, excess capacity, government ownership, market share, steel industry |
| JEL: | H25 H32 L52 L61 |
| Date: | 2026–05–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:stiaac:191-en |
| By: | Karshenas, M.; Pesaran, M. H.; Smith, R. P. |
| Abstract: | The current restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz imposes significant costs on the global economy. Rather than attempting to reverse this situation through military means, a more viable approach may be to institutionalize the emerging arrangement in which Iran, in coordination with littoral states on the opposite shore, guarantees safe transit while charging a toll for service provision. Such an arrangement would resemble the system governing passage through the Turkish Straits under the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits. The likely toll would be small relative to the value of goods in transit or the immense costs associated with forcibly reopening the Strait. Moreover, a stable revenue stream could create incentives for Iran to maximize shipping throughput rather than restrict it. Attempting to open the Strait by military means and ensuring that the flow is sustained in the future, and not disrupted again, would require the U.S. to succeed in installing a more compliant government in Iran. It is very unlikely that the US could use naval and air power to deter or depose the present regime, defend ships transiting the Strait, or destroy all the Iranian munitions threatening shipping. The monetary cost of regime change in Iran is likely to be many times the $3-5 trillion estimate of the cost of the U.S. involvement in Iraq, compared to the total U.S. military budget of $962 billion for 2025. Iran has about three times the area and more than three times the population of Iraq in 2003. Regime change may not be feasible. Similar amounts were pent by the U.S. in Afghanistan and still failed to sustain a compliant regime. |
| Keywords: | Shipping, Transit Costs, Global Supply Chains |
| JEL: | F68 G22 |
| Date: | 2026–04–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cam:camdae:2632 |
| By: | Jorge Florez-Acosta; Margarita María Gáfaro-González; Alejandra Ximena González-Ramírez; Juan Sebastián Vélez-Velásquez |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates the transmission of materials price shocks to producer and consumer prices in the processed food industry in Colombia between 2016 and 2023. Using monthly sector-level data for 9 food-processing sectors in Colombia, and an empirical strategy that exploits variation in both time-series and cross-sectoral exposureto materials price shocks, we estimate reduced form effects on prices along the production and retail stages of the supply chain. We find that a 1% increase in materialsprices raises producer prices by about 0.6% and consumer prices by 0.3%. These effects materialize gradually, which is consistent with frictions in price adjustment. We also find that transmission rates are lower in more concentrated sectors of the food industry, consistent with theoretical predictions linking market power and incomplete pass-through. Our findings provide new evidence on the role of materials price shocks and their interaction with market structure in shaping food prices in developing countries. ***RESUMEN: Este documento cuantifica la transmisión de choques en los costos de los insumos a los precios al productor y al consumidor en la industria de alimentos procesados en Colombia entre 2016 y 2023. Utilizando datos mensuales a nivel sectorial para 9 sectores que procesan alimentos y una estrategia empírica que explota la variación tanto temporal como entre sectores en la exposición a choques en los precios de los insumos, estimamos efectos de forma reducida a lo largo de los segmentos de producción y comercialización de la cadena valor de los alimentos procesados. Encontramos que un aumento del 1% en los precios de los insumos incrementa los precios al productor 0, 6%, y los precios al consumidor en 0, 3%. Estos efectos se materializan de manera gradual, lo que es consistente con la presencia de fricciones en el ajuste de precios. Por último, mostramos que las tasas de transmisión son menores en los sectores más concentrados de la industria de alimentos, en línea con las predicciones teóricas que vinculan el poder de mercado con una transmisión incompleta de los costos. Nuestros hallazgos aportan nueva evidencia para países en desarrollo sobre la importancia de los choques en los precios de los insumos—y su interacción con la estructura de mercado—en la determinación de los precios de los alimentos.. |
| Keywords: | Materials prices, Costs tramisision, Processed food, Food Inflation, Precios de las materias primas, Transmisión de costos, Alimentos procesados, Inflacion de alimentos |
| JEL: | E31 L66 L16 Q18 L13 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdr:borrec:1353 |
| By: | David R. DeRemer (Nazarbayev University, Graduate School of Business); Venkat Subramanian (Nazarbayev University, Graduate School of Business); Aigerim Yergabulova (Nazarbayev University, Graduate School of Business) |
| Abstract: | The global value chain (GVC) approach offers valuable insights for resource-rich states pursuing economic diversification and enhanced resilience, due to its strengths in analyzing how policy shapes the tasks and linkages of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). By examining how state roles affect SOEs, we gain insights for diversification policy through economic upgrading analysis and resilience policy via a multi-level perspective. Drawing on the case of Kazakhstan before and after the shocks of the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, we analyze two contrasting sectors engaged in GVCs: uranium, an advantaged resource sector where the sovereign wealth fund (SWF) owns the key producer, and medicines, a disadvantaged non-resource sector where a state-owned firm is the key buyer. Our upgrading analysis of pre-shock policies in the uranium case shows that a SWF-facilitated transformation improves diversification, while in the medicine case, policy interventions through the state-owned firm yield diversification limited to state priorities. Our resilience analysis of post-shock policies reveals that in both cases, state interventions created unintended consequences for the resilience of firms and GVC, hindering GVC rebalancing and prompting strategic firm responses to mitigate adverse impacts. Our study suggests that state policies for resilience could better internalize these unintended consequences. |
| Keywords: | Global value chains, Industrial policy, Emerging markets/countries/economies, Economic diversification, Industrial upgrading, Resilience, Sovereign wealth funds, Privatization, Public procurement, Case-theoretic approaches |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:asx:nugsbw:2025-05 |
| By: | Grynberg, Charlotte; Vinci, Francesca; De Sanctis, Alessandro |
| Abstract: | The European energy market remains heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels and fragmented across Member States. This leaves the EU exposed to high and volatile energy prices, posing risks to its growth outlook and its international competitiveness. As the EU advances its energy security and climate neutrality objectives, the role of electricity and renewable energy is set to increase at the expense of fossil fuels. This paper argues that achieving a genuine European Energy Union would help to reach these goals and identifies five key policy priorities to support this process: strengthening cross-border infrastructure; mobilising innovative green finance; investing in tools to support flexibility and matching of supply and demand; improving the efficiency and harmonisation of energy taxation; and establishing a coherent industrial policy for clean tech. JEL Classification: Q40, Q41, Q48, O25, F15 |
| Keywords: | clean-tech industrial policy, EU energy market integration, European integration, industrial competitiveness, renewable energy |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecb:ecbops:2026388 |
| By: | Nyumba, Rosebella (Schumpeter School of Business and Economics, University of Wuppertal); Trotter, Philipp A. (Schumpeter School of Business and Economics, University of Wuppertal) |
| Abstract: | Firms increasingly operate in environments characterised by various interacting crises in which shocks place simultaneous and competing demands on organisational resources. However, existing management research almost exclusively studies business resilience in contexts of singular shocks, commonly promoting proactivity as the ideal resilience strategy. Little is known to which extent proactive approaches to resilience remain feasible in contexts of accumulating crises and intensifying resource constraints. Here, we conduct a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed studies on firm-level approaches to resilience in Global South contexts often marred by overlapping economic, political, health-related and environmental shocks. Analysing the resulting 86 studies, we find that proactivity functions more as a conceptual ideal than a practical mode of action and rarely materialises in organisational practice. Instead, organisational resilience responses in our sample are shaped by resource scarcity, exposing limitations of the widespread linear, three-stage framework of reactive, adaptive and proactive resilience. Specifically, we identify four resource-related mechanisms that influence resilience strategies of firms in the Global South firms. These mechanisms are hierarchically organised, with strong networks forming the foundational resource that enables all other mechanisms. |
| Keywords: | Resilience strategies, resources, Global South, resource mechanisms |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bwu:schdps:sdp26001 |
| By: | Lohawala, Nafisa (Resources for the Future); McCormack, Kristen (Resources for the Future); DeAngeli, Emma (Resources for the Future); Kota, Ambarish; Ziegler, Ethan (Resources for the Future); Krupnick, Alan (Resources for the Future); Spiller, Beia (Resources for the Future); Wear, David N. (Resources for the Future); Wibbenmeyer, Matthew (Resources for the Future) |
| Abstract: | Overlapping economic, energy security, and environmental rationales have contributed to relatively broad political support for biofuel policy in the United States over time. Biofuels can reduce reliance on imported petroleum, create new markets for agricultural and forestry products, and are often discussed as a potential near-term option for decarbonizing difficult-to-electrify sectors such as aviation, marine shipping, and heavy-duty transport. Expanding biofuel production, however, can impact land and water use, biodiversity, and competition with food crops, and there is ongoing debate about how biofuel production, and the policies that support it, affect greenhouse gas emissions. Drawing on a 2025 Resources for the Future webinar series and a follow-up expert discussion with participants from industry, policy, and academia, this report discusses the potential role of biofuels in the energy transition, provides an overview of key areas of debate in life-cycle assessment and indirect land use change modeling, and highlights lessons from experience with existing federal and state biofuel policies. The report concludes by identifying policy-relevant knowledge gaps and research needs. |
| Date: | 2026–05–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rff:report:rp-26-09 |
| By: | OECD |
| Abstract: | This paper provides a comparative analysis of industrial policy expenditures across 20 OECD countries over 2019-2023 based on the Quantifying Industrial Strategies (QuIS) database. On average, industrial policy support has increased, with total grants and tax expenditures rising from 1.34% to 1.55% of GDP between 2019 and 2023. This growth was driven mainly by increased public support for fixed capital investment, energy cost relief, and the energy transition. Sectoral support remains central, particularly in energy, manufacturing, and transport. Grant spending (notably through EU-funded programmes) increased more strongly than tax expenditures, while financial instruments remained stable at 0.92% of GDP. Despite perceptions of a proliferation of new industrial policy instruments, most policies predate 2019 and exhibit long lifespans. |
| Date: | 2026–05–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:stiaac:192-en |
| By: | Larabi Jaïdi |
| Abstract: | L’impératif de sécurisation des approvisionnements en ressources minérales stratégiques est au cœur des politiques publiques de réindustrialisation nord-américaine et européenne. L’essentiel des efforts porte toutefois sur les métaux de l’électromobilité (lithium, cuivre, nickel, cobalt, manganèse, graphite) ou sur ceux indispensables à certaines hautes technologies (gallium, germanium, antimoine, etc.) et ayant fait l’objet de restrictions aux exportations de la Chine qui en est, souvent, le premier pays producteur. À l’inverse, peu d’attention semble avoir été accordée à l’étain alors que ce métal revêt, lui aussi, une importance stratégique majeure. Une étude, commandée en 2018 par Rio Tinto au Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT), mais non publiée, place ainsi l’étain en tête des ressources minérales qui seront déterminantes pour les nouvelles technologies. Il est notamment incontournable pour les soudures des cartes électroniques et joue donc un rôle central dans l’ère numérique. Signe de l’étroitesse de son marché mais également des tensions et de l’intensité des dynamiques spéculatives qui le parcourent, ses cours sur les marchés de Londres et de Shanghai se sont envolés en 2025 et sur les premiers jours de 2026, atteignant ainsi des records historiques. Or, son offre primaire reste concentrée sur un nombre réduit de pays, avec certaines mines localisées dans des zones de conflit et/ou de nature illégale. Les enjeux associés tant à la sécurité des approvisionnements en minerai « responsable » qu’au développement du recyclage sont, en conséquence considérables dans les pays importateurs. Pourtant, si les États-Unis, le Canada ou le Royaume-Uni considèrent l’étain comme un métal stratégique, tel n’est pas le cas pour l’Union européenne. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ocp:rpcoen:pp_02-26 |
| By: | Candeias, Marta; Boavida, Nuno; Moniz, António Brandão |
| Abstract: | This publication was developed as a result of national case studies and independent desk research within the European project Metallica and serves as a comprehensive guide and analysis for stakeholders in the metal sector. This document aims to outline challenges posed by the twin transition – the digitalization process of work and sustainability of production process - while emphasizing the role of workers' participation in preventing and resolving disputes. A conclusion may be considered as the need for clear national strategies to guide the transformation of the metal sector. There is strong agreement that employer strategies must prioritize employee inclusion, with structured opportunities for participation in planning and implementation. The role of trade unions is evolving. Unions are seen not only as defenders of workers' rights but increasingly as strategic actors in shaping the transition. All countries identify skill development — both technical and soft — as foundational for a just transition. Finally, all cases acknowledged the inevitability of workplace reorganization and call for pre-emptive and structured consultation mechanisms, especially regarding AI, data governance, and occupational safety. |
| Keywords: | Twin Transition, Metal Sector, Workers’ Participation, Conflict Prevention, Social Dialogue |
| JEL: | J52 J53 M12 M14 O14 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esrepo:340899 |