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Fraser, Gavin. "Institutional economics and the environment." Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006130.
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[From text] What is Institutional Economics? Before delving into the concept of institutional economics, it will be useful to explain what is meant by institutions because institutions in economics have a particular meaning. The most commonly agreed upon definition for institutions is a set of formal and informal rules of conduct that facilitate coordination or govern relationships between individuals or groups. The formal rules include laws, contracts, political systems, organisations, and markets, while the informal rules of conduct consist of norms, traditions, customs, value systems, religions and sociological trends. Institutions provide for more certainty in human interaction (North, 1990) and have an influence on outcomes such as economic performance, efficiency, economic growth and development. They can either benefit or hinder these economic measures. Williamson (2000) noted that new institutional economics operates at both the macro and micro levels. The macro level deals with the institutional environment, or the rules of the game, which affect the behaviour and performance of economic actors and in which organisational forms and transactions are embedded. Williamson (1993) described it as the set of fundamental political, social and legal ground rules that establish the basis for production, exchange and distribution. The micro level analysis known as the institutional arrangement, on the other hand, deals with the institutions of governance. These refer to the modes of managing transaction costs and include issues of social capital, property rights and collective action. Here the focus is on the individual transaction and the questions regarding organisational forms (private property versus common pool resources) are analysed. An institutional arrangement is an arrangement between economic units that govern the ways in which its members can co-operate or compete.
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Feddersen, John Alexander. "Essays in international economics and the environment." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:aa2b64d1-d4cd-4f8f-b83c-1b1ad435f2ea.
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I consider the influence of foreign environmental policy on domestic manufacturing activity using theory and empirics. A tractable three-country spatial model yields a theory of locational com- parative advantage in the production of pollution-intensive manufactured goods: greater market access to countries with stringent environmental policy encourages output in the polluting sector. Operationalizing the model empirically, I find robust evidence that high market access to countries with stringent environmental policy increases manufacturing value added. Both the theoretical and empirical analyses suggest that estimates of the Pollution Haven Effect that ignore third country environmental policy - yet make the stable unit treatment value assumption - can be misleading. Chapter Two We investigate the impact of short-term weather and long-term climate on self-reported life satisfaction using panel data. We find robust evidence that day-to-day weather variation impacts life satisfaction by a similar magnitude to acquiring a mild disability. Utilizing two sources of variation in the cognitive complexity of satisfaction questions, we present evidence that weather bias arises because of the cognitive challenge of reporting life satisfaction. Consistent with past studies, we detect a relationship between long-term climate and life satisfaction without individual fixed effects. This relationship is not robust to individual fixed effects, suggesting climate does not directly influence life satisfaction. Chapter Three This chapter considers the related policy challenges of deindustrialisation and 'leakage' which can arise when environmental regulation is differentiated across regions. A dynamic two-region 'New Economic Geography' (NEG) model is adopted in which agglomeration forces may make firms tolerant of regulatory disadvantage. Each region ratifies an international environmental agreement (IEA) requiring it to tax transboundary pollution created by local firms. In contrast to previous NEG studies, the model adopted is considerably more tractable, enabling comparative static analysis to be conducted analytically rather than through computer simulation. The model is extended to consider the relationship between the prescribed tax rates and deindustrialisation caused by the relocation of firms. Firm relocation in response to a given tax differential depends crucially on trade costs and the initial location (configuration) of industry. For some industry configurations, agglomeration forces are strong and a set of tax differentials exist which cause no international relocation of polluting firms. For other initial industry configurations in which agglomeration forces are weaker, the same set of tax differentials may cause complete inter-national relocation to the less stringently regulated region. Trade liberalization can actually make industry less likely to relocate in response to a regulatory disadvantage. The model is further extended to consider the issue of carbon leakage, which arises in the regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For relatively low tax differentials, agglomeration forces create rents which tend to anchor industry in the higher taxing region, avoiding carbon leakage. If the tax differential is too great, however, agglomeration forces cause all firms to relocate to the lower taxing region where they optimally emit more GHGs. Environmental outcomes may therefore be improved by reducing the tax rate in the higher taxing region in order to discourage industry relocation. When industry is diversified between regions, firms respond to higher (lower) relative domestic taxes by increasing (decreasing) output and polluting more (less).
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Simpson, Beth Michaela. "Environment, economics, and consumption, conflicting cultural models." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/NQ61175.pdf.
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Tawil, Natalie Jean. "Essays on economics, government and the environment." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/11271.
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Gateral, Mark Robert. "Environmental benefit evaluation : a strategic approach to appraising investment in the aquatic environment." Thesis, Imperial College London, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/7549.
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Jiang, Shirley. "MONEY AND THE ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE LOBBYING AND FIRM ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2018. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1979.
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In the U.S. firms spend millions of dollars each year on climate lobbying. Climate lobbying is often seen as “dirty” firms lobbying against environmental regulations; however, my study reveals a subset of major climate lobbying contributors actually have positive environmental performance records. This paper analyzes the relationship between firm-level environmental performance indicators and climate lobbying expenditures. To explore this relationship, I combine a firm level climate lobbying expenditures dataset from the Center for Responsive Politics, financial measures from Compustat and CRSP, and environmental performance indicators from MSCI. My results indicate more climate lobbying among firms that derive substantial revenues from products and services with environmental benefits and those with proactive carbon emission reduction policies/technologies
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Walter, Jason. "Economics of innovation: competition, clubs and the environment." Diss., Kansas State University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/19009.
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Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Economics
Yang-Ming Chang
Innovation is development of new ideas that leads to better solutions to current problems. From an economic standpoint, innovation is the engine of economic growth. The appearance of innovation is not uniform in the market, and neither are its affects. The development of new products and technology is significant in any industry. As a result, understanding the path of progress within an industry is necessary to maximize the benefit from innovation. The focus of this research is to further understand the relationship between producers, consumers, and the environment, in the context of innovation. Three scenarios are evaluated. First, innovation evaluated in the context technology intensive industries with product differentiation. Using an optimal control approach with product differentiation and firm outlook we examine conditions that maximize social welfare. When firm(s) have the same discount rate regardless of market structure, a monopoly will develop more innovative products. However, it is shown that competition may increase innovation if firms alter their outlook in a duopoly market structure. Next, influence of consumers on producer adoption of clean technology is evaluated. A spatial model is developed to analyze welfare implications of environmental policies in a competitive market with production and consumption heterogeneity. Consumers with heterogeneous preferences choose between non-green and certified green products, while firms with heterogeneous production costs decide whether to engage in green production. In order for green products to be recognized by consumers, firms must join a green club. The number of green firms, environmental standard, and overall welfare under the market solution are all found to be socially sub-optimal. Finally, producer innovation in markets characterized by public policy due to emission concerns is evaluated. Using a dynamic approach, we derive a firm’s optimal R&D investment strategy to develop clean technology. Explicitly allowing for the cumulative nature of R&D shows that emissions per unit of output are lowest when the firms cooperate in R&D, and show that a profit-maximizing merged entity will never choose the most efficient investment strategy in clean technology, which has implications for emission tax policy and environmental innovation to improve overall welfare.
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Sutherland, Alan James. "Exchange rate target zones and regime switches in a stochastic environment." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.388081.
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Young, Carlos Eduardo Frickmann. "Economic adjustment policies and the environment : a case study of Brazil." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.266120.
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Moeller, Sara B. "An analysis of the competitive environment of international futures markets." Connect to resource, 1998. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view.cgi?acc%5Fnum=osu1263405455.
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Shapiro, Joseph S. "Essays on trade, CO₂, and the environment." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81052.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Economics, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 163-174).
The first chapter of this thesis uses a general equilibrium model of trade and the environment to investigate two questions. First, how do the gains from trade compare against the environmental costs of trade? Trade can generate environmental costs by requiring long-distance transportation of goods and by relocating production to countries that emit a lot of C02 to produce a given good. I find that trade's benefits exceed trade's environmental costs by two orders of magnitude. Second, what are the welfare consequences of proposed EU, US, and global climate change regulations on the carbon emissions from transporting goods? I find that the three proposed policies all increase global welfare. However, they decrease welfare in poor countries, and they provide economic benefits to the implementing region even ignoring environmental consequences. The second chapter (coauthored with Olivier Deschenes and Michael Greenstone) quantifies the magnitude of one defensive investment that people undertake to protect themselves against air pollution. We analyze how the NOx Budget Trading Program, a large cap-and-trade market in the Eastern U.S., affected air pollution emissions, ambient air quality, medication purchases, hospitalizations, and mortality. We find that the market decreased medication expenditures by about $900 million annually. These defensive benefits have similar magnitude to the monetized effect of the market on preventing premature mortality. The third chapter analyzes how the Clean Water Act affected U.S. water pollution levels. By almost any measure, water quality has improved since the 1972 Act. Nonetheless, water quality was improving at similar rates before 1972. The only exception is thermal pollution, which has worsened continually since 1969, presumably due to climate change. I find that the Act's two main activities - wastewater treatment grants and industrial permits - both improved water quality, as indicated by the omnibus measure of dissolved oxygen. At the same time, there is some evidence that the grants increased fecal coliform counts.
by Joseph S. Shapiro.
Ph.D.
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Bramblett, Russell. "Sanctions| Protectionism, Environment, and Macro-Level Impacts." Thesis, Colorado State University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10640492.
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Are Sanctions Motivated by Protectionism: This paper attempts to answer the question, “are sanctions the U.S. imposes on foreign countries motivated by trade protectionism”? Using sanctions votes in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005–2015 and industry data within a given Congressional District, the empirical analysis indicates that with some types of sanctions bills and certain industries, Representatives’ votes may be affected by the prevalence of industries within their district.
The Necessary Conditions for Environmental Sanctions: Drawing from current environmental economics literature, this paper looks at the necessary conditions for carbon abatement and models the path to optimal carbon abatement using a country-level welfare-maximization model to illustrate the effects of pollution awareness on consumption optimization. This paper finds that social marketing is necessary for a country to increase its welfare by imposing environmental sanctions.
A Time-Series Analysis of U.S. Sanctions Imposed from 1990 to 2015: Using time-series analysis and forecasting, this paper assesses the effects of sanctions using a dataset of U.S. imposed sanctions from 1990–2015. The analysis indicates that, 1. GDP is a good predictor of development assistance after a sanction, 2. export dependence is a good predictor of military expenditures after a sanction, and 3. contrary to previous research, constrained democracies are affected more by sanctions than pure democracies.
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Walker, Elizabeth Ruth. "Essays at the Intersection of Environment and Development Economics." Thesis, Harvard University, 2015. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17467372.
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The three essays in this dissertation explore how households in Southern Africa interact with and rely upon environmental resources. The first chapter examines the relationship between irrigation dam placement and local infant health outcomes. Irrigation dams can enable farms to harness considerable water resources, and this has been critical to increasing the global food supply. However, irrigation consumes 70 percent of global water resources and returns polluted water back into river systems. I examine the effect of irrigation dams on water pollution and infant health outcomes in South Africa. To remove bias associated with non-random dam placement, I utilize an instrumental variables approach that predicts dam placement using geographic features and time-varying policy changes. I find that each additional dam within a district increases both water pollution and infant mortality. In districts downstream from dams, alternately, dams generate smaller water pollution effects and reduce infant mortality, though magnitudes are much smaller. I argue that this pattern is consistent with pollution-induced health costs that outweigh economic benefits within the districts that receive dams. Downstream, however, pollution generates smaller costs and the economic benefits dominate. Exploring other plausible channels through which irrigation dams may affect infant mortality, I find that while irrigation dams generate substantial effects on district employment and small effects on migration, these factors do not appear to explain the health outcomes observed. Instead, the results suggest that water pollution and reduced water availability may contribute to higher infant mortality near agricultural activity.
The second chapter in this dissertation explores technology adoption of trees with environmental benefits, in the context of a field experiment in Zambia. As context, many technology adoption decisions are made under uncertainty about the costs or benefits of following through with the technology after take-up. As new information is realized, agents may prefer to abandon a technology that appeared profitable at the time of take-up. Low rates of follow-through are particularly problematic when subsidies are used to increase adoption. This chapter uses a field experiment to generate exogenous variation in the payoffs associated with taking up and following through with a new technology: a tree species that provides fertilizer benefits to adopting farmers. Our empirical results show high rates of abandoning the technology, even after paying a positive price to take it up. The experimental variation offers a novel source of identification for a structural model of intertemporal decision making under uncertainty. Estimation results indicate that the farmers experience idiosyncratic shocks to net payoffs after take-up, which increase take-up but lower average per farmer tree survival. We simulate counterfactual outcomes under different levels of uncertainty and observe that subsidizing take-up of the technology affects the composition of adopters only when the level of uncertainty is relatively low. Thus, uncertainty provides an additional explanation for why many subsidized technologies may not be utilized even when take-up is high.
Finally, the third paper in my dissertation explores the role that mineral wealth has on local economic outcomes. Mineral wealth has been central to the development of the South African economy. However, we have little evidence regarding how it has affected employment and poverty. This paper explores how within-country variation in mineral wealth affects district-level outcomes. Using data on mineral deposits and historical world prices, I construct a plausibly exogenous variable reflecting district-level aggregate mineral wealth, and I use variation in this index to evaluate economic outcomes over three Census rounds (1991, 1996, 2001). In the short run, I show that positive shocks to aggregate mineral wealth generate higher employment, largely driven by increased mining employment. This increase in mining is accompanied by reductions in agricultural employment and slight reductions in manufacturing employment. On average, adult age individuals also report working more hours and earning higher salaries in districts experiencing higher mineral prices. In sum, mineral wealth shocks generate benefits to districts, with less households below the poverty line.Public Policy
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Connolly, Cristina A. "3 Essays on the Local Food Environment." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1435788062.
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Rommel, Jens. "Institutions, behavior, and the environment." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/17156.
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Das Kerninteresse der Dissertation gilt den Einsatzmöglichkeiten ökonomischer Experimente in der Institutionenanalyse. Sie setzt sich aus einem konzeptionellen und vier empirischen Aufsätzen zusammen. Im ersten Aufsatz werden drei theoretische Blickwinkel auf institutionellen Wandel unterschieden. Diese werden dann mit empirischen Arbeiten in der experimentellen Wirtschaftsforschung in Beziehung gesetzt. Die empirischen Aufsätze greifen diese Überlegungen auf. Im zweiten Aufsatz findet für die Analyse der Verkehrsmittelwahl von Pendlern unter verschiedenen Politikszenarien ein „Framed Field Experiment“ Anwendung. Es wird gezeigt, wie Verlustaversion und Statusängste die Entscheidungen der Pendler erklären können. Im dritten Aufsatz kommt ein „Public Goods Game“ zum Einsatz, um den Einfluss von ökonomischer Ungleichheit und Vorbildverhalten auf Beiträge zu einer gemeinsam genutzten sanitären Einrichtung zu untersuchen. In einer strukturell ähnlichen Entscheidungssituation verhalten sich Teilnehmerinnen häufig so wie es ihnen aus anderen Zusammenhängen bekannt ist. Der vierte Aufsatz untersucht den Einfluss des sogenannten Status-Quo-Effekts auf umweltfreundliches Verhalten. In einem Feldexperiment wird gezeigt, dass sich ein Zwang zur Entscheidung positiv auf umweltfreundliches Verhalten auswirken kann. Der fünfte Aufsatz geht der Frage nach, ob sich Experimente als didaktisches Werkzeug zur Schaffung größeren Umweltbewusstseins einsetzen lassen. Im Vergleich zu einer Kontrollgruppe zeigen selbst Teilnehmende mit negativen Erfahrungen aus dem Experiment einen positiven Effekt auf umweltfreundliches Verhalten. In einem Fazit findet eine Synthese der Aufsätze statt. Ein Ergebnis ist die Entwicklung eines analytischen Rahmens für die Durchführung ökonomischer Experimente zur Untersuchung institutionellen Wandels. Konstitutionelle Regeln, also Regeln zur Änderung von Regeln, werden als erfolgversprechender Ansatzpunkt für die zukünftige Forschung identifiziert.The dissertation focuses on the use of economic experiments for institutional analysis. It consists of one conceptual and four empirical essays. In the first essay, three theoretical perspectives on institutional change are distinguished. These are linked to empirical work in Experimental Economics. The empirical essays expand on these considerations. In the second essay, commuters’ transportation mode choice is analyzed. It is shown that loss aversion and status concerns drive behavior. In the third essay, a public goods game is employed to investigate the effect of endowment heterogeneity and leading by example on voluntary contributions to a jointly used sanitation facility. It is demonstrated that in a structurally similar decision context, choices are driven by experiences from other contexts. The fourth essay examines the impact of the so-called status quo bias on pro-environmental behavior. In a field experiment, it is shown that forcing a decision has a positive effect on pro-environmental behavior. The fifth essay investigates whether experiments can be used as a tool for environmental awareness building. Even participants with negative experiences from taking part in the dilemma experiment show a greater likeliness of behaving environmentally friendly in comparison to a control group. In a concluding part, the essays are synthesized. One outcome is an analytical framework for developing economic experiments on institutional change. Constitutional rules (i.e., rules on how to change the rules) are identified as a promising starting point for future research.
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Šeputienė, Janina. "The evaluation of the impact of institutional environment on economics." Doctoral thesis, Lithuanian Academic Libraries Network (LABT), 2010. http://vddb.laba.lt/obj/LT-eLABa-0001:E.02~2010~D_20100303_133234-62136.
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The dissertation investigates the impact of institutional environment on economics, considering the impact of international trade and geography factors as well. Aforementioned factors are called “deep determinants” of economic development, as they influence proximate determinants of economic growth – investments, human capital, and technology. The main object of research is the impact of institutional environment on countries’ economics. The primary aim is to reason the impact of institutional environment on economics by means of analysis of theoretical and empirical studies and to evaluate and compare this impact between countries where institutional environment is different.
The major tasks: to explain the function of institutions and its impact on economics; to summarize the results of empirical studies on the impact of institutions on economics, to highlight the main debatable questions, to reveal the main shortcomings of the applied methodology; to create a model for the evaluation of the impact of institutional environment on economics and to test it in groups of countries where institutional environment is different.
The dissertation consists of three parts including Introduction, 3 chapters, Conclusions, References and 16 Annexes.
The introduction reveals the investigated problem, importance of the thesis and the object of research and describes the purpose and tasks of the paper, research methodology, scientific novelty, the practical significance of the results and... [to full text]Disertacijoje nagrinėjamas institucinės aplinkos poveikis ekonomikai, taip pat atsižvelgiant į tarptautinės prekybos ir geografinius veiksnius. Paminėti veiksniai mokslinėje literatūroje įvardijami kaip „gilieji“ ekonomikos augimo ir plėtros veiksniai, lemiantys tiesioginius augimo veiksnius: investicijas, žmogiškąjį kapitalą, technologijas. Pagrindinis tyrimo objektas yra institucinės aplinkos poveikis šalių ekonomikai. Pagrindinis disertacijos tikslas – remiantis teoriniais teiginiais bei empiriniais tyrimais pagrįsti institucinės aplinkos poveikį šalių ekonomikai, atlikti poveikio vertinimą ir palyginimą skirtingos institucinės aplinkos šalių grupėse. Pagrindiniai darbo uždaviniai: atskleisti institucijų funkcijas ir pasireiškiantį poveikį ekonomikai; susisteminti empirinių institucijų poveikio ekonomikai tyrimų rezultatus, išskirti pagrindinius diskusinius klausimus, atskleisti taikytų tyrimo metodikų trūkumus; sudaryti institucinės aplinkos poveikio ekonomikai vertinimo modelį ir jį patikrinti skirtingos institucinės aplinkos šalių grupėse. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, trys skyriai, rezultatų apibendrinimas, naudotos literatūros ir autorės publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašai ir 16 priedų. Įvadiniame skyriuje aptariama tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, tyrimų objektas, formuluojamas darbo tikslas bei uždaviniai, aprašoma tyrimų metodika, darbo mokslinis naujumas, darbo rezultatų praktinė reikšmė, ginamieji teiginiai. Įvado pabaigoje pristatomos disertacijos tema... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]
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Imori, Denise. "Brazilian regions in the global value chain: trade and the environment." Universidade de São Paulo, 2015. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/12/12138/tde-05022016-153553/.
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This dissertation analyzes economic and environmental aspects related to Brazilian states\' participation in global value chains. It is composed by three essays. In the first essay, a novel methodological framework is proposed for estimating a country-state input-output table, combining a world table and an interregional table. In the proposed framework, input coefficients from both datasets are employed (rather than the intermediate flows). The empirical application combines a world input-output table covering 40 countries (and the rest of the world as a 41st country) with an interregional input-output table covering all Brazilian states, for the year 2008. The essay proceeds with the analysis of the Brazilian states\' trade in value added, with special focus on foreign trade. It is observed that the importance of production sharing for participating in the global value chains varies widely across states. International trade in value added is highly concentrated in the more developed Southeast and South regions. These regions are also majorly responsible for linking other states\' production to final consumption abroad, that is, they act as major links connecting and extending Brazilian production networks to the global value chains. The underlying geographical structure of global value chains is the object of study in the second essay. Firstly, background perspectives are presented on how the fragmentation of production processes has lead to the reorganization of economic activities around the globe and within countries. Then, the hierarchical feedback loop methodology is applied to the previously estimated country-state input-output table. A great degree of production sharing among Brazilian states is observed. The results indicate that fragmentation within great regions is a major phenomenon for the Southeast and (secondary to the links with São Paulo) the South regions. For states elsewhere in the country, supply chain connections with the more developed states in Brazil overshadows production sharing with neighbouring states. In this way, the geography of production within Brazil seems to remain quite similar over the years. At global level, a spatial structure is observed where the flows linking major economies across trade blocks are dominant; the results support that production fragmentation is a truly global phenomenon, not being merely circumscribed to trade blocks. Finally, the third essay turns to the environmental aspects of the integration in global value chains. More specifically, to the relationship between trade and CO2 emissions. The interrelationships between states in environmental matters are relevant in large and heterogeneous countries such as Brazil, where the regional distributive aspect of mitigation policies is a concern. The analysis traces the CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion embodied in Brazilian states\' trade both within the country and internationally. The previously estimated country-state IO table is applied together with a novel database reflecting CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion by state and productive industry. A central finding is that not only were 28% of global emissions (from fossil fuels) embodied in international trade, but 36% of territorial emissions (from fossil fuels) in Brazil were traded between states in 2008. Thus, international and interregional trade play a major role in emissions reduction and should be given due consideration in the climate change policy framework. The current regional mitigation initiatives in Brazil, which are limited to a few states and refer only to the emissions generated within states\' territorial boundaries, ignore an important share of national emissions.A presente tese analisa aspectos econômicos e ambientais da participação dos estados brasileiros nas cadeias de valor globais. É composta por três artigos. No primeiro artigo, um novo framework metodológico é proposto para a estimação de uma matriz de insumo-produto países-estados, por meio da combinação de uma matriz mundial e de uma matriz inter-regional. No framework proposto, são empregados coeficientes técnicos das duas fontes de dados (alternativamente aos fluxos de insumos intermediários). A aplicação empírica combina uma matriz de insumo-produto mundial abrangendo 40 países (e o resto do mundo como o 41º país) e uma matriz de insumo-produto inter-regional abrangendo cada um dos estados brasileiros, para o ano de 2008. O artigo prossegue com a análise do comércio dos estados em termos de valor adicionado, com foco nos fluxos internacionais. Observa-se uma grande variação entre os estados da importância do compartilhamento da produção para que ocorra participação nas cadeias de valor globais. As regiões Sudeste e Sul são largamente responsáveis por conectar a produção dos demais estados à demanda final estrangeira, isto é, atuam como elos principais conectando e estendendo as cadeias domésticas às cadeias globais. A estrutura geográfica subjacente das cadeias de valor globais é o objeto de estudo do segundo ensaio. Primeiramente, apresentam-se perspectivas da literatura sobre como a fragmentação dos processos produtivos suscitou a reorganização das atividades econômicas no mundo e internamente aos países. Em seguida, a metodologia da análise de feedback loops é aplicada à matriz de insumo-produto países-estados anteriormente estimada. Um elevado grau de compartilhamento da produção é observado entre os estados brasileiros. Os resultados indicam que a fragmentação produtiva dentro das grandes regiões é um fenômeno importante para as regiões Sudeste e (secundariamente às ligações com São Paulo) Sul. Para os estados nas demais regiões, as ligações produtivas com os estados mais desenvolvidos do país superam as ligações com os estados vizinhos. Desse modo, a geografia da produção no Brasil parece ter se mantido grandemente inalterada ao longo do tempo. Em nível global, é observada uma estrutura espacial em que são dominantes os fluxos entre as grandes economias em diferentes blocos de comércio; os resultados indicam que a fragmentação produtiva é um fenômeno de fato global, não circunscrito aos blocos regionais. Finalmente, o terceiro artigo é voltado aos aspectos ambientais da integração às cadeias de valor globais. Mais especificamente, às relações entre comércio e emissões de CO2. São relevantes para questões ambientais as inter-relações dos estados em países amplos e heterogêneos como o Brasil, em que a distribuição regional dos esforços de mitigação é um ponto premente. A análise traça as emissões de CO2 decorrentes da queima de combustíveis fósseis incorporadas ao comércio dos estados brasileiros, tanto nacional quanto internacionalmente. A matriz de insumo-produto países-estados anteriormente estimada é aplicada em conjunto com uma nova base de dados referente a emissões de CO2 decorrentes da queima de combustíveis fósseis, detalhadas por estados e por setores produtivos. Um resultado central é que não apenas 28% das emissões globais (decorrentes da queima de combustíveis fósseis) estavam incorporadas ao comércio internacional, mas 36% das emissões territoriais (decorrentes da queima de combustíveis fósseis) do Brasil foram transacionadas entre os estados em 2008. Portanto, os comércios internacional e inter-regional têm papel importante para a mitigação de emissões e deveriam ser analisados nas políticas de mudanças climáticas. As atuais iniciativas regionais de mitigação no Brasil, limitadas a poucos estados e referentes a apenas emissões geradas nos limites territoriais de tais estados, ignoram, assim, uma parcela expressiva das emissões nacionais.
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Stefani, Gianluca. "Economic aspects of information in environmental economics." Thesis, University of York, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.489205.
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Information may resolve uncertainty and uncertainty is pervasive. Thus, seeking, producing and trading of information are common economic activities. This is also true in the economics of the environment and for the different stakeholders therein involved. The central aim of this research is to investigate some theoretical aspects of the value and effects of information in environmental economics. Information is valuable either as a decision aid in contexts where either health and environmental characteristics of goods are uncertain or as the object of direct valuation under different provision rules. In a choice context three questions arise providing grounds for empirical investigations.
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Cheng, Kin-man Raymond. "Infrastructure development in Southern China : environment and strategy /." [Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong], 1994. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B13787792.
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Wong, Yen Cheong J. Karlo C. "The influence of genotype and environment, including storage, on the processing quality of potatoes grown in a tropical environment." Thesis, University of Reading, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.306373.
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Christian, Thomas James. "Essays in Health Economics: A Focus on the Built Environment." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2010. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/econ_diss/61.
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The dissertation investigates how individual behaviors and health outcomes interplay with surrounding built environments, in three essays. We conceptually focus on travel behaviors and accessibility.
In the first essay, we hypothesize that urban sprawl increases requisite travel time which limits leisure time available as inputs to health production. We utilize the American Time Use Survey to quantify decreases in health-related activity participation due to commuting time. We identify significant evidence of trade-offs between commuting time and exercise, food preparation, and sleep behaviors, which exceed labor time trade-offs on a per-minute basis. Longer commutes are additionally associated with an increased likelihood of non-grocery food purchases and substitution into less strenuous exercise activities. We also utilize daily metropolitan traffic accidents as instruments which exogenously lengthen a particular day’s commute.
The second essay tests whether the likelihood of food insecurity and “paradoxical” joint insecurity-obesity occurrences vary over the degree of urban sprawl. We utilize data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System’s Social Context Module merged with urban sprawl measures developed by Smart Growth America. We find significantly negative associations between urban sprawl and the likelihood of food insecurity, and that insecurity is more likely in areas of less developed street connectivity. We find that joint outcomes are more likely in less sprawled areas and that likelihood is greater in areas of greater street connectivity, which fails to support theories proposing that healthy food inaccessibility is a determinant of joint outcomes.
The third essay evaluates research claims that walking and cycling to school increases students’ physical activity levels in a predominantly urban sample. We utilize the third wave of the Survey of Adults and Youth–a geocoded dataset–to identify determinants of walking or cycling to school, and in turn to explore to what extent active travel impacts adolescents' weekly exercise levels. Consistent with the literature, we find that the distance between home and school is the largest influence on the travel mode decision. We also find no evidence that active travel increases the number of students’ weekly exercise sessions. These results suggest that previous findings may not extend to all environments or populations.
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Kidd, Jeremy Lynn. "Probing the Mechanics of the Environmental Kuznets Curve Theory." DigitalCommons@USU, 2009. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/260.
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The theory of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) proposes to answer important questions regarding the connections between economic growth (development) and the environment. The theory postulates the environment need not always suffer as the economy develops, and it has generated strong support and opposition. Rather than attempting to defend or debunk EKC theory, this research challenges a practice engaged in by proponents and opponents alike. Simplifying assumptions are a necessary part of economic analysis, but this research shows that any assumptions may not be universally applicable. Utilizing, in turn, a simple one good model and then a more complicated two good model, it is discovered that the competing assumptions utilized by proponents and opponents of the EKC theory may both be valid, depending upon the conditions present in the system being analyzed.
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Somani, Anil Kumar. "Environmental Tax Reform and Economic Welfare." Thesis, Harvard University, 2013. http://dissertations.umi.com/gsas.harvard:10825.
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According to a new study EPI (2012), India has the worst air pollution in the entire world. Given the severe damages caused by air pollution, it is important to explore various options to control air pollution. In chapter 1, I use a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to show that a Pigouvian tax on the use of fossil fuels with cuts in existing distortionary taxes could have double dividend in India. In addition, the fuel tax policy is also progressive. Alternative Pigouvian tax on output of pollution intensive commodities has a positive effect on economic growth, but it achieves only a modest reduction in air pollution. This tax policy does not have a significant distributive impact.Economics
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Tian, Huilan 1964. "Three essays on trade, resource and environment." Thesis, McGill University, 2002. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=38525.
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This dissertation comprises three essays under the title "Three Essays on Trade, Resource and Environment".The first essay develops a model of international duopoly involving competition both in prices and in levels of environmental friendliness, and studies the implications of government policies. It is shown that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, a regulatory increase in the minimum required level of environmental friendliness of the imported goods may harm the home firm, and may result in an increase in the volume of imports. It may also have adverse effects on the environment. Whether consumers lose or gain from such a regulatory increase depends on consumption spillover effects. We also show that, under certain conditions, the duopoly's equilibrium choice of levels of environmental friendliness is socially optimal.
The second essay investigates the properties of the dynamics of population and resource in a model where the objective function is to maximize the utility level of the least advantaged generation. Unlike in models with a utilitarian objective where the typical outcome is a unique steady state, it is found in our model that there is a continuum of steady states. Which steady state will be approached depends on the initial conditions. We show that for relatively large values of the resource stock, each steady state is conditionally stable in the saddlepoint sense; but for small values of the resource stock, the approach path to a steady state is non-monotone in the state space. Along the approach path to a steady state, the implicit discount rate varies over time.
The third essay extends the existing literature on regulation of polluting firms by taking into account the dynamics of investment in pollution abatement capital. It confirms that, under perfect competition, a Pigouvian tax can create the correct incentive for firms to invest and guide firms to achieve the social optimum. This tax path is time consistent. However, when there is a large polluter with price taking behavior, while an efficient and time consistent tax path exists, it is no longer subgame perfect unless the damage cost function is linear in emission. A non-linear taxation rule needs to be designed to achieve the socially optimal outcome. In the case of monopoly, a pair of instruments, an emission tax and a production subsidy, can lead the monopolist to achieve the social optimum. However, if pre-commitment is not possible, it is shown that linear feedback rules cannot achieve the first best outcome.
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鄭建文 and Kin-man Raymond Cheng. "Infrastructure development in Southern China: environment and strategy." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1994. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31265984.
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Smith, Douglas A. "Trade and the environment : how are they related /." abstract and full text PDF (free order & download UNR users only), 2005. http://0-wwwlib.umi.com.innopac.library.unr.edu/dissertations/fullcit/1433111.
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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2005."August, 2005." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-77). Library also has microfilm. Ann Arbor, Mich. : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [2005]. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm. Online version available on the World Wide Web.
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Pinchbeck, Edward. "Empirical essays in the economics of health, housing, and the environment." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2016. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3388/.
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This thesis is composed of four independent empirical essays that draw on and contribute to aspects of health, urban, public, and environmental economics. The chapters can be split into two distinct parts. The first part comprises two chapters that provide new quantitative evidence about the impacts of recent health care policies in the English National Health Service (NHS). While essentially describing policy evaluations, the essays provide insights into the underlying economic forces of health care demand and supply, and are linked to the urban economics literature by an explicit consideration of spatial issues. The second part comprises two further chapters that focus on a core urban economics topic — housing markets — placing particular emphasis on specific links between housing and environmental issues. The unifying theme, and overriding contribution, of the thesis is to bring fresh evidence to bear on policy-relevant issues in urban and public economics by the generation of new datasets and the application of econometric techniques.
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Hedlöf, Carina, and Ulrika Janson. "How to cope with a turbulent environment." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Management and Economics, 2000. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-567.
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Background: Due to constant changes and unpredictability in a turbulent environment, the traditional way of planning does not seem to work anymore. Therefore, new approaches to the external and internal conditions need to develop in order to cope with the environmental turbulence.
Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to define a turbulent environment and identify how an organisation can cope with this environment. Procedure: We have developed a frame of reference mainly consisting of theories regarding a turbulent environment and change. In addition, we have selected eight guiding factors, which we have used when studying, systemising, and comparing how contemporary literature suggests that an organisation can cope with a turbulent environment.
Results: The conclusions we have come to are that with a definition of the environment as being fast-changing and of chaotic nature, where the changes are continuous, emergent, small, big or somewhere in between, and where paradoxes play an important role, it is necessary to develop an organisational structure, leadership, human resource, and corporate culture, in which the objective always is to create dynamics and to build in an acceptance of change.
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Dubois, Sagenay. "Marketplaces and the Environment: A Utilitarian Analysis." Thesis, Boston College, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:109173.
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Thesis advisor: Joshua SnyderIn my work I seek to define and understand the best consequences approach to correcting market failures that result in negative environmental outcomes. I do this by exploring the relationship between markets and environmental outcomes through the introduction of case studies. Additionally, I outline the policy solutions used to try to correct these failures. These case studies are evaluated using Peter Singer’s ethical framework as a criterion for best consequences. Based on this analysis, I argue for the use of economic policy to achieve policy goals set in accordance with the needs of stakeholders both human and non-human on an intertemporal scale. Economic terms often fail to capture the true value of natural resources, however, making the best consequences unattainable through such policies alone. Considering this, I argue that we must develop a fundamentally different understanding of consumption and commodities if we are to achieve the most beneficial outcome
Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2021
Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Departmental Honors
Discipline: Philosophy
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Samano-Sanchez, Mario. "Essays on Industrial Organization, Energy, and the Environment." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/242491.
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This dissertation focuses on the welfare implications of different government policies aimed to diminish the consumption of energy produced from fossil fuels in the United States. The first of these policies, taxation on gasoline consumption, diminishes consumption by increasing the cost per mile traveled. However, this policy measure has not been favored by policy-makers, and instead, the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, CAFEs, were put in place since the seventies. This policy consists of a pre-established threshold of fuel-efficiency, measured in miles per gallon, that car manufacturers selling cars in the United States are subject to each year. For each manufacturer, the CAFE is calculated, which weights the fuel-efficiency of each car model by the number of units sold of that car model. If the CAFE for a given manufacturer lies below the pre-established standard for that year, the manufacturer is subject to a fine. I exploit the manufacturers' past behavior in setting prices for their car models to estimate structural demand and supply parameters that characterize the car industry facing these policies. With those parameters, I can estimate the welfare impacts of tightening the CAFE standard to the new threshold set by the Obama administration and compare those impacts to the ones from raising gasoline taxes to obtain the same gasoline reduction in consumption. The findings are that in the short run, taxation is a less costly policy than tightening the CAFE standard. The second and third essays study the consequences of adopting renewable sources for electricity production. These technologies bring reductions in emissions of pollutants to the atmosphere, but not at no cost. They are expensive and their introduction to already existing electricity systems requires modifications to the usual scheduling of power plants because of the intermittent nature of the renewable sources, such as solar. We compute the equilibrium effects of this policy finding that if the environmental benefits are not taken into account, these policies are welfare decreasing with the amount of renewable sources. Some lower levels of penetration are more cost efficient if we take into account dynamic considerations in the scheduling of the plants.
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Babalola, Adewumi Joseph. "Influence of the macro-economic environment on the construction sector's contribution to the South African economy, 1984 to 2011." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5618.
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The construction sector serves as the engine of growth to the South Africa economy because of its catalytic role in the growth and development of the country. This study focuses mainly on the influence of the macro-economic environment on the contribution of the private sector to construction in the South Africa economy from 1984 to 2011. Government construction work is considered to be an injection into the economy; in this regard, state construction is regarded as public investment in the economy; and therefore, it is anti-cyclic (Keynes, 1936). The aim of this study has been to develop an econometric model for predicting the influence of the macroeconomic environment on the contribution of the private sector to the construction sector in the South Africa economy. The research design adopted in this study was an “ex-post facto” type, otherwise known as a causal-comparative design. The data were extracted from the published sources of the South African National Statistics, namely SARB, Stats SA and Quantec SA. The estimation technique used in this study was the ARDL model using quarterly data from 1984 to 2011. This is because in the construction sector, the influence of the independent variables is always felt over time – rather than all at once. The results of this study show that there is a long run causal relationship between inflation rate, interest rate, real exchange rate, GDP and gdp in the construction sector. The descriptive statistical analysis shows that there is a negative relationship between variables inflation rate and interest rate and the private sector spending in construction. However, economic growth as well as growth in the construction sector has a positive relationship with the private sector spending in construction. Likewise, the real exchange rate and labour productivity in construction have a negative relationship with the private sector’s spending in construction and they are statistically insignificant. The variance decomposition analysis show that the private sector spending in construction explains about 75 per cent of it variations, followed by inflation rate that explains 21 per cent on the average; while the remaining variations, comprising about 4 per cent, were shared among the other independent variables, such as GDP, GDP in construction, the interest rate and the real exchange rate. It was discovered that only the inflation rate does Granger-cause the private sector spending in construction. From the finding it can be concluded that inflation rate is a significant explanatory variable in explaining the variation in the dependent variable during period under review. Policy recommendations are as follows: firstly, the monetary authorities in South Africa should embark on sound policies that would bring about low prices of the construction materials. This would ensure growth and development in the construction sector; secondly, a stimulating development plan that would encourage private sector investment in properties and infrastructural development must be instituted; thirdly, an alternative policy to the present inflation targeting is recommended that would bring about low inflation, high growth, low unemployment and stable exchange rate; fourthly, the present policy on interest rate must be reviewed to allow for more participation in construction projects by the private sectors of the economy; fifthly, due to the fact that fluctuation in the crude oil prices in the international market is one of the major factors causing high inflation rate in South Africa, government must source local alternative products that would bring down prices of construction materials.
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Nkwe, Tlotlo Pauline. "Monetary Policy in a Low Exchange Rate Pass-Through Environment: The case of Botswana." Master's thesis, Faculty of Commerce, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30887.
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This paper constructs a small open economy New Keynesian Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model, to examine monetary policy conduct and the extent of exchange rate pass-through in Botswana. Thus, I apply a three-step procedure. In the first step, I estimate the degree of exchange rate pass-through to Consumer Price Index (CPI) and import prices using a Vector Error Correction model (VECM). Secondly, I carry out simulations using trade openness parameter value suggested by the imports and exports to GDP ratio for Botswana and using parameter values consistent with Justiniano and Preston (2010). The simulations allow me to establish the impact of different economic disturbances on Botswana’s business cycle fluctuations and the extent to which these economic disturbances influence Botswana’s business cycle fluctuations. Following this set-up, using time series data for Botswana’s macro-economic variables for the period 2004:Q1-2017:Q4 obtained from Bank of Botswana I use Bayesian methods to estimate the DSGE model. I find that in the short-run, exchange rate pass-through to CPI and imports prices is low, at 12 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Secondly, the simulations show that imports cost-push shock leads to a decrease in consumption by a higher magnitude than the decrease in output. The estimation results show that the central bank allocates the largest weight towards price stability as compared to other target variables such as the output gap, in its monetary policy rule. Moreover, the monetary policy shock, import cost-push shock and risk premium are responsible for majority of the business cycle fluctuations in Botswana. These findings may be useful for policy makers and in particular in guiding their policy decision making because of the suggested variables that may influence business cycle fluctuations in Botswana.
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Wolf, Guy. "Product innovation as a static game of incomplete information in a non-Bayesian environment." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9870.
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Includes bibliographical references.The apparent failure of incumbent firms to produce radical innovations is one that continues to provoke significant debate in the economic literature. This phenomenon, termed the "Incumbent's Curse" by Chandy and Tellis (2000, p.2) receives significant support. Rosenbloom and Christensen (1994, p.655) go as far as to say that this is one of the "stylised facts" in the innovation literature. The concept of incumbent failure to innovate receives support both in theoretic modelling (e.g. Ghemawat 1991, Reinganum, 1983) and in empirical case studies (e.g. Christensen 1993, Henderson and Clark 1990). Chandy and Tellis (2000) rightly point out however that such literature has focused on industries in which there is such incumbent inertia. There are well documented examples of leadership in a high profile industry changing with new product innovations, e.g. typewriters, computer disks.
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Fok, Po-yan. "Can a constructivist learning environment enhance a deep approach to learning?" Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2002. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B26232789.
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Eslamloueyan, Karim. "Trade and the environment: A game-theoretic analysis of the linkages." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/4224.
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This thesis attempts to analyze some prominent linkages between trade and the environment. More specifically, the thesis seeks to elucidate the endogenous determination of environmental policies in the context of North-South and North-North relations when pollution generated in one country can cross the border and flow into another country. It also provides a theoretical framework to analyze the political influence of environmental lobbies on environmental policies, environmental damages, and the strategic behavior of domestic firms in making political contributions and investments in environmental R&D. This thesis adopts the political-support approach formalized with the help of the game-theoretic framework of a first-price menu auction formulated by Bernheim and Whinston (1986). In the political process, environmental interest groups that seek to influence environmental and trade policies set by politicians will face other lobby groups. By contrast, domestic firms in imperfectly competitive industries will press for protectionist trade policies and laxer environmental regulations. We find that an equilibrium emission tax depends on the cost and emission per unit of output, the weight that an incumbent government attaches to social welfare, the amount of pollution that countries transfer to each other, and the type of environmentalists. This thesis shows how interactions between different interest groups and their national governments may prevent the adoption of socially optimal levels of environmental policies. Moreover, it shows that environmentalists might be pressing for more stringent environmental policies if they care only about their own local environment and might have common cause with protectionist tendencies if they believe that liberalized trade will result in more pollution. With some exceptions, it is found that the presence of environmental lobbies improves the quality of their local environments. The exceptions arise when environmentalists also care about the global environment and pollution spills over from one country to another. This thesis shows that the presence of environmental lobbies may raise environmental R&D investments in the North, lower the profits of domestic firms, and improve the quality of their home and the world environments by inducing their incumbent government to adopt more stringent environmental policies. The thesis also finds that a more stringent environmental regulation, if properly set, may induce a domestic firm to undertake R&D investments, but it fails to confirm that this will raise the firm's profitability or competitiveness. Indeed, we show that an increase in a pollution tax causes the domestic firm to either cut back its output or raise its R&D expenditure. In either case, the profit of the domestic firm declines.
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Xue, Xiang. "Determinants of Consumer Behavior in an e-Commerce Environment." Fogler Library, University of Maine, 2002. http://www.library.umaine.edu/theses/pdf/XueX2002.pdf.
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Hémous, David. "Essays on International Trade, Economic Growth and the Environment." Thesis, Harvard University, 2012. http://dissertations.umi.com/gsas.harvard:10434.
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This dissertation consists of three essays on Economic Growth. The first essay introduces directed technical change in a growth model with environmental constraints. The final good is produced from ”dirty” and ”clean” inputs. We show that when inputs are sufficiently substitutable, sustainable growth can be achieved with temporary taxes/subsidies that redirect innovation towards clean inputs; and that delay in intervention is costly as it later necessitates a longer transition phase with slow growth. The second essay explains how unilateral environmental policies undertaken by a group of committed countries can ensure sustainable growth in the presence of directed technical change. There are two countries and two tradeable goods: a nonpolluting good and a polluting one, which, itself, is produced with a clean and a dirty input. Innovation can be targeted at the non-polluting sector, at clean or at dirty technologies. I show that sustainable growth can generally not be achieved by unilateral carbon taxes but can be achieved by a temporary unilateral combination of clean research subsidies and a tariff. I characterize the first best policy, the world optimal policy under the constraint that one country must be in laissez-faire, and the optimal policy from the viewpoint of a single country. The third essay shows that long-term relationships, which reduce the static costs associated with low contractibility, create dynamic inefficiencies. We consider the repeated interaction between final good producers and intermediate input suppliers, where the provision of the intermediate input is non contractible. Producer/supplier pairs can be good matches or bad matches (featuring lower productivity). We build a ”cooperative” equilibrium that features cooperation in good matches without any collusion amongst suppliers. We contrast this set-up with the Nash equilibrium where cooperation is precluded and a contractible setting. Every period one supplier has the opportunity to innovate. We show that innovations need to be larger to break up existing relationships in the cooperative case than in the contractible and Nash cases. The rate of innovation in the cooperative case is lower than in the contractible case, and can be lower than in the Nash case.Economics
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Nyarkoa, Renaity, and Ibrahim Kaya. "The Impact of Financial Development on the Environment : Focus on Middle-Income Countries." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Nationalekonomi, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-177991.
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Visser, Martine. "Trade and the environment : a case study of the South African iron and steel industry." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9871.
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Bibliography: leaves 91-95.The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the trade and sustainable linkages in industry, using the South African iron and steel industry as a case study. That particular sector has been chosen because of its importance to the South African economy, and its vulnerability to trade measures. The case study outlines the economic profile of the industry, trade profiles and the structure of trade policies within the sector. International trade agreements affecting the iron and steel industry, and their structures in terms of creating incentives or disincentives for exports or imports, are discussed. An overview is presented of the environmental profile within which the sector is currently operating. The study gives consideration to environmental impacts generated within this sector as a result of its production activities, and outlines abatement measures for individual companies, as well as for government. Different public and private abatement instruments are described, and the level of South African environmental standards is compared with international standards. Scenarios are explored to assess the potential implications of 'green' trade barriers and harmonisation of environmental standards for the iron and steel industry. The last section of the document addresses the possible impacts of international trade and environmental agreements on sectoral behaviour. The impacts of regulation on the competitive advantage of the sector, employment and choice of geographical location are presented. Further, some of the main driving forces of environmental reform are explored, and the extent to which trade and sustainability issues have been addressed in terms of policy and regulations is discussed.
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Hansen, Michael Leif. "Investment, governance, and the environment an institutional assessment /." Thesis, Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2005. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B31930736.
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Quiroga, Miguel. "Microeconomic policy for development : essays on trade and environment, poverty and education /." Göteborg : Department of Economics, School of Economics and Commercial Law, University of Gothenburg, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2077/21407.
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Moxey, Andrew Paul. "Agricultural economics within the NERC/ESRC Land Use Programme." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.285319.
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Haskell, Hilary A. "The Seven Deadly Sins of Sustainability: Is Capitalism Really at Fault?" Scholarship @ Claremont, 2014. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/846.
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Although capitalism is usually seen as the culprit for many of the environmental issues society faces today, it is not necessarily at fault. The Seven Deadly Sins of Sustainability: Pride, Greed, Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath, Lust, and Envy, are the underlying reasons why capitalism fails in the face of sustainability. Through recognition of these human vices, better strategies can be used to address environmental issues through leveraging capitalistic economic solutions.
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Liu, Qianqian. "The environment quality and economics growth in China-A literature review and discussion." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekonomi och organisation (Inst.), 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-92185.
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This theses presents a discussion on the symbiotic relationship between the economic development and environmental protection. The presentation is based upon an extensive literature overview with a strong focus on Chinese research publications.
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Kim, Hye-Jeong. "The Effect of the Internet Shopping Environment on Pleasure and Approach Responses of Apparel Shoppers." The Ohio State University, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1394727128.
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Zhou, Qingshui. "Trade and the environment a political model of international public goods problem /." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 1999. http://etd.wvu.edu/templates/showETD.cfm?recnum=1106.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 1999.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 112 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-106).
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Munshifwa, Ephraim Kabunda. "Property rights and the production of the urban built environment in Zambia." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15572.
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This study investigated the phenomenon whereby settlements with ostensibly similar socio- economic status exhibited significantly different physical outcomes, such as in the quality of houses, spatial arrangements and available services. The study investigated three related questions. Firstly, given the similarity in the levels of incomes, what is the relationship between property rights and physical development outcomes in low income settlements? Secondly, what are the underlying mechanisms and processes by which these physical developments are produced? Thirdly, what is the relationship between formal and informal institutions and organisations in the production of the built environment? Corresponding to these questions were three hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that, at any given level of average incomes, different strengths of property rights have differential effects on physical development outcomes. The second hypothesis was that different property rights are associated with different mechanisms and processes in the physical development process and thirdly that situations of extra-legal property rights require State mechanisms in the production of the built environment. Using a theoretical, conceptual and analytical framework provided by the new institutional economics, the study employed the comparative institutional analysis methodology to determine the influence of three types of property rights on the production of the built environment in Zambia. These rights were categorised as informal, semi-legal and legalised, and are to be found respectively in Mindolo North, Chipata and Ipusukilo, three settlements in Kitwe selected as case studies. Empirical data was collected using household surveys, focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and observations. The study finds that stronger property rights are associated with better quality physical development outcomes. Furthermore, the study finds that different types of property rights are associated with different mechanisms and processes for the production of the built environment. Finally, the study finds that where property rights are extra- illegal or informal, successful development requires that there be facilitative interaction between formal institutions of the State at one hand, and informal institutions and organisations at the other.
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Shrum, Trisha Renee. "Behavioral and Experimental Insights on Consumer Decisions and the Environment." Thesis, Harvard University, 2016. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:33493368.
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In the following essays, I apply theoretical insights and experimental methods from behavioral science to address three questions at the intersection of environmental economics and consumer behavior.
In Chapter 1, I use an experimental intervention to explore the role of salience in the willingness to pay for climate change mitigation. The long time horizon between the mitigation decision and the benefits of that decision may hinder optimal investment in climate change mitigation. The immediate costs of the decision loom large in the decision-maker's mind while the future benefits have lower prominence in their decisions. As a result, climate change mitigation decisions may be prone to salience bias. In an online randomized control experiment, I test whether tasks focusing attention on the risks and challenges of climate change will increase the willingness to pay for climate change mitigation. In the Letter treatment, the writing task is framed as a message directed to a particular individual living in the year 2050. In Essay treatment, the writing task is framed as an essay on the risks and challenges of climate change. I find that compared to a control group, both writing tasks that focus attention on the risks and challenges of climate change increase the willingness to donate to a climate change mitigation non-profit organization. However, the two treatments appear to operate through different pathways. These findings contribute to the understanding of how to effectively bridge the psychological distance between choice and consequence for climate change mitigation. They also have broader implications for the interplay between psychological distance and salience bias in a broad range of decision-making contexts.
In Chapter 2, coauthored with Joseph Aldy, we model the consumer welfare impacts of gasoline price volatility under expected utility theory and prospect theory. The salience of gasoline prices among the U.S. public reflects consumer concerns about the price, and the uncertainty around the price, of gasoline. Volatility in gasoline prices reduces the ability of credit-constrained households to smooth consumption, and could result in substantial welfare losses for such households. Volatility reduces the information value of prices, which can undermine consumer decision-making for new investments. Gasoline price volatility may also reflect energy and environmental policies. As decision-makers compare the welfare impacts of policies that accomplish the same goal (e.g. reduce carbon dioxide emissions) but generate different levels of volatility in energy prices (e.g. fixed carbon tax compared to a fluctuating allowance price), the effects of consumer price volatility are often left out of the analysis. The goal of this research is to understand how energy price volatility affects consumer welfare. Focusing specifically on the gasoline market, we estimate the risk premium for increased gasoline price volatility due to a carbon allowance market. Under an expected utility theory model, households with highly inelastic demand or high-risk aversion tend to prefer fixed prices but have low risk premiums. Under a prospect theory model with reference-dependent utility, loss aversion leads to a strong preference for fixed prices with risk premiums around 2% of the average price. The salience of gasoline prices creates a strong reference point and the level of attention focused on "pain at the pump" when prices rise sharply implies loss aversion. Thus, prospect theory may be particularly well-suited to this market setting. By clarifying the welfare impacts of gasoline price volatility, we will better understand the full set of tradeoffs among energy policy options that have differential effects on fuel price volatility.
In Chapter 3, I use a series of experiments to explore the impacts of eco-friendly labels on perceptions and evaluations of product attributes. Expectations may affect how people evaluate product attributes. If people expect different levels of performance from eco-products and regular products, then the presence of an eco-product label may bias their evaluations. Six experiments examine how expectations of the objective performance of eco-products affect perceptions of those products and subsequent product preferences. Holding objective performance constant, I find that prior expectations bias the evaluations of eco-product attributes. Expecting energy efficient bulbs to generate unpleasant lighting causes people to evaluate the lighting as unpleasant; expecting toilet tissue from recycled paper to be coarse causes people to evaluate the toilet paper as coarse. Using a study designed to isolate the effects on sensory perception, I find that expectations do not bias the sensory perception of product attributes. Instead, I find that consumers follow Bayesian predictions of combining prior expectations with a new perceptual signal to form posterior evaluations. This research may help explain the slower than expected take-up of energy efficient products (referred to as the "energy efficiency gap"), and the persistence of beliefs that eco-products underperform standard products, when many objectively do not.Public Policy
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Clark, Andre. "Developing an economic pedagogy for an enacted environment in which cognitive differences matter." Thesis, University of South Wales, 2012. https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentthesis/developing-an-economic-pedagogy-for-an-enacted-environment-in-which-cognitive-differences-matter(56b49a1b-5068-42a5-a9bf-84e8eaf465cd).html.
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The aim of the research presented here is to increase the utility of introductory Economics (particularly Microeconomics), to Business undergraduates. The motivation for this was my desire to improve on the poor outcomes previously recorded for students at the University of Glamorgan (and elsewhere), and avoid the effective loss to them of the many important discoveries made in this field. Doing this required an investigation into the nature of the problem and a solution, both of which are encompassed in the seven papers herein presented and discussed in this overview.
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Drabo, Alassane. "Health, environment and economic development." Thesis, Clermont-Ferrand 1, 2011. http://www.theses.fr/2011CLF10376/document.
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Cette thèse étudie théoriquement et empiriquement les interrelations entre la santé de la population, la dégradation de l'environnement et le développement économique, ses conséquences pour les pays en développement, et fournit certaines réponses en termes de politique économique. Elle est subdivisée en deux parties. La première partie s’intéresse à la relation entre l’environnement, la santé, et les inégalités. Elle analyse dans un premier temps l’hypothèse selon laquelle la dégradation de l'environnement pourrait être considérée comme un canal supplémentaire par lequel les inégalités de revenu affectent les taux de mortalité infantile et juvénile (chapitre 2). Nos travaux théoriques et empiriques montrent que les inégalités de revenu affectent négativement la qualité de l'air et de l'eau, et cela à son tour dégrade la santé de la population. Par conséquent, la dégradation de l'environnement peut être considérée comme un canal non négligeable à travers lequel les inégalités de revenu influence l’état de santé. Il est ensuite démontré que les émissions de dioxyde de soufre (SO2) et celles des micro-Particules (PM10) sont en partie responsables des grandes disparités dans la mortalité infantile et juvénile au sein des pays pauvres (chapitre 3) .En outre, nos résultats soutiennent l’idée selon laquelle les institutions démocratiques jouent un rôle de protection sociale en atténuant cet effet pour les classes de revenu les plus pauvres et ainsi réduisent les inégalités de santé provoquées par la pollution. La deuxième partie évalue le lien entre la santé, l'environnement et la croissance économique. Le Chapitre 4 évalue l'effet de la santé (charge globale de la maladie, maladies transmissibles et paludisme) sur la croissance économique. Ce chapitre montre que les indicateurs de santé, lorsqu'ils sont correctement mesurés par l'écart entre l'état de santé actuel et une situation de santé idéal où toute la population vit à un âge avancé, indemne de maladie et d'invalidité, et lorsqu’ils sont convenablement instrumentés, ont un impact négatif significatif sur la performance économique. Les conséquences de ces interactions sur la convergence économique des pays pauvres vers leur état régulier, sont théoriquement et empiriquement analysées dans le dernier chapitre. Il en ressort que la dégradation de l'environnement réduit la capacité des pays pauvres d'atteindre leur état régulier, renforçant ainsi notre argument théorique selon lequel l’amélioration de la qualité de l'environnement joue un rôle considérable dans le processus de convergence économique. En outre, la dégradation de la qualité de l'air et de l'eau affecte négativement la performance économique, et l'état de santé demeure un canal important par lequel la dégradation de l'environnement agit sur la croissance économique même si elle n'est pas le seul. L’hypothèse de la courbe environnementale de Kuznets (EKC) est également vérifiéeThis dissertation investigates theoretically and empirically the interrelationships among population’s health,environmental degradation and economic development, its consequences for developing countries, and someeffective policy responses. The first part explores the association between health, environment, and inequalities. Itfirstly analyzes whether environmental degradation could be considered as an additional channel through whichincome inequality affects infant and child mortality (chapter 2). Theoretical and empirical investigations show thatincome inequality affects negatively air and water quality, and this in turn worsens population’s health. Therefore,environmental degradation is an important channel through which income inequality affects population health. Then,it is shown that sulphur dioxide emission (SO2) and particulate matter (PM10) are in part responsible for the largedisparities in infant and child mortalities between and within developing countries (chapter 3). In addition, we foundthat democratic institutions play the role of social protection by mitigating this effect for the poorest income classesand reducing the health inequality it provokes. The second part is devoted to the link among health, environment,and economic growth. The effect of health (global burden of disease, communicable disease, and malaria) oneconomic growth is assessed in Chapter 4. This chapter shows that health indicators, when correctly measured by thegap between current health status and an ideal health situation where the entire population lives to an advanced age,free of disease and disability, and when accurately instrumented have significant impact on economic performance.The consequences of these interrelationships on the convergence of poor countries towards their steady state aretheoretically and empirically investigated in the last Chapter (chapter 5). It is found that environment degradationreduces the ability of poor countries to reach their own steady state, reinforcing our argument according to whichenvironment quality improvement plays a considerable role in economic convergence process. Moreover, thedegradation of air and water quality affects negatively economic performance, and health status remains an importantchannel through which environment degradation affects economic growth even if it is not alone. The EnvironmentalKuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis is also verified