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on Resource Economics |
| By: | Lorena M. D’Agostino (University of Milano-Bicocca); Rosina Moreno (AQR-IREA, University of Barcelona); Damián Tojeiro-Rivero (ESADE-University Ramon Llull) |
| Abstract: | Taking the long-established evidence on knowledge spillovers that states that part of the new created knowledge spills over to other firms mostly located in the physical proximity, we aim at providing evidence on the role of green knowledge spillovers on firms’ innovation. We posit that in addition to internal factors, firm innovation is determined by external regional factors, among which we specifically focus on the spillovers generated by environmental EU-funded research at the regional level. The results indicate that the presence of partners engaged in EU-environmental projects in a region has a positive and significant effect on process innovation. |
| Keywords: | innovation; environment; EU-funded research; Framework Programme; region; firm JEL classification: R11; O31; O44 |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aqr:wpaper:202409 |
| By: | Brent, Daniel A.; Wietelman, Derek (Resources for the Future); Wichman, Casey (Resources for the Future) |
| Abstract: | Using price incentives to allocate scarce resources is a core tenet of economics but may result in unpalatable distributional outcomes. We analyze the efficacy of prices as a means of inducing water conservation during severe drought by studying the introduction of surcharges enacted within existing nonlinear rate structures. Embedding machine learning counterfactual prediction methods within a demand framework to isolate exogenous price variation, we find evidence that households exhibit a significant demand response despite the temporary nature of surcharges. However, further investigation reveals that surcharges alone cannot explain a majority of the conservation observed despite steep price increases. “Budget-based” rates undercut scarcity signals by shielding large users from binding price increases, and surcharges themselves do little to reduce the regressivity of water expenditures. Simpler rate structures can dominate along equity dimensions, and their progressivity can be enhanced via lump-sum transfers within the rate structure. |
| Date: | 2025–03–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-25-07 |