SABIIA - Sistema Aberto e Integrado de Informação em Agricultura (Sabiia)

Arya, Swarn Lata; Panwar, Pankaj; Yadav, R.P.

Watershed programme is an important intervention in dryland areas to improve livestock productivity through increased feed and fodder supply. The present study has focused on the impact of watershed interventions on crop-livestock linkages with particular emphasis on how the interventions have affected the quantity of stovers/straws as livestock feeding materials in bridging the demand-supply gap. The study has been carried out in three typical Shivalik foothill watersheds (two treated and one untreated) in the Panchkula district of Haryana state. The impact of watershed development programme has been estimated by adopting both with and without approach and before and after approach. The untreated watershed has derived 65 per cent of its total income from...

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Fodder; Demand-supply gap; Watershed management; Livestock production; Shivaliks; Agricultural and Food Policy; Q01; Q15; Q25; Q28.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/118230

Buyback Programs for Capacity Reduction in the U.S. Atlantic Shark Fishery

Larkin, Sherry L.; Keithly, Walter R., Jr.; Adams, Charles M.; Kazmierczak, Richard F., Jr..

Declining fishery stocks, increasing fishing effort and adverse market conditions have produced difficult financial situations for fishermen worldwide. Several high-valued fisheries are considered to be overcapitalized. The purchase and permanent retirement of fishing vessels and/or permits under a buyback program is one approach for reducing fishing capacity. Evidence from previous programs, however, suggests that buybacks are not a panacea for solving overcapacity problems. Whether such programs can help rebuild stocks and improve the financial condition of fleets in any specific fishery depends on a multitude of factors. We consider the potential of a buyback program for the U.S. Atlantic shark fishery.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Buyback programs; Fishing capacity; Fishing permits; Latent permits; Marine fisheries; Vessel decommissioning schemes; Q22; Q28.

Ano: 2004

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/43423

Cleaning Up the Nuclear Weapons Complex: Exploring New Approaches

Probst, Katherine N.; Pilling, Carolyn A.; Dunn, Karen T..

In recent years, policy experts have increasingly decried the "piecemeal" approach to environmental protection embodied in existing laws and regulations. This paper analyzes one aspect of the call for more integration: the feasibility and advisability of developing an integrated approach to regulating the cleanup of the nation's nuclear weapons complex. The Cold War has left an unprecedented set of difficulties at sites across the country where vast quantities of hazardous and radioactive materials must be properly managed. Regulatory fragmentation--particularly the phenomenon of multiple regulators and regulations driving the allocation of resources in an uncoordinated fashion--is nowhere more evident than in the current statutory and regulatory framework...

Modeling Biased Technical Change. Implications for Climate Policy

Palavras-chave: Nuclear weapons complex; Integration; Environmental law; Environmental regulation; Environmental Economics and Policy; H56; K32; Q28.

Ano: 1996

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10765

Carraro, Carlo; De Cian, Enrica; Nicita, Lea.

Climate-economy models aiming at quantifying the costs and effects of climate change impacts and policies have become important tools for climate policy decision-making. Although there are several important dimensions along which models differ, this paper focuses on a key component of climate change economics and policy, namely technical change. This paper tackles the issues of whether technical change is biased towards the energy sectors, the importance of the elasticity of substitution between factors in determining this bias and how mitigation policy is likely to affect it. The analysis is performed using the World Induced Technical Change model, WITCH. Three different versions of the model are proposed. The starting set-up includes endogenous technical...

Environmental Options and Technological Innovation: An Evolutionary Game Model

Palavras-chave: Technical Change; Climate Policy; Stabilization Cost; Environmental Economics and Policy; C72; H23; Q25; Q28.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/59376

Antoci, Angelo; Borghesi, Simone; Galeotti, Marcello.

This paper analyses the effects on economic agents' behaviour of an innovative environmental protection mechanism that the Public Administration of a tourist region may adopt to attract visitors while protecting the environment. On the one hand, the Public Administration sells to the tourists an environmental call option that gives them the possibility of being (partially or totally) reimbursed if the environmental quality in the region turns out to be below a given threshold level. On the other hand, it offers the firms that adopt an innovative, non-polluting technology an environmental put option that allows them to get a reimbursement for the additional costs imposed by the new technology if the environmental quality is above the threshold level. The...

INSTITUTIONS AND SUSTAINABLE LAND USE: THE CASE OF FOREST AND GRAZING LANDS IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA

Palavras-chave: Environmental Bonds; Call and Put Options; Technological Innovation; Evolutionary Dynamics; Environmental Economics and Policy; C73; D62; G10; O30; Q28.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/55289

Gebreegziabher, Zenebe.

Land is an essential factor of production for agriculture, horticulture, forestry as well as other land related activities. Institutions that govern its use determine the sustainability and efficient use of this essential resource. In Ethiopia all land is publicly owned. Such an institutional setting has resulted in major degradation of Ethiopia’s land resources and dissipation of the resource rent, as available forest and grazing lands are exploited in a suboptimal fashion. An alternative to current institutional setting is to assign private property institution, but this will lead to welfare costs. In this paper, we examine the welfare effects (from consumer perspective) of change in institutional setting to forest and grazing lands using a unique data...

Economics of Pollution Trading for SO2 and NOx

Palavras-chave: Institutions; Sustainable land use; Economic welfare.; Environmental Economics and Policy; K11; Q12; Q2; Q28.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51639

Burtraw, Dallas; Evans, David A.; Krupnick, Alan J.; Palmer, Karen L.; Toth, Russell.

For years economists have urged policymakers to use market-based approaches such as cap-and-trade programs or emission taxes to control pollution. The SO2 allowance market created by Title IV of the 1990 U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments represents the first real test of the wisdom of economists' advice. Subsequent urban and regional applications of NOx emission allowance trading took shape in the 1990s in the United States, culminating in a second large experiment in emission trading in the eastern United States that began in 2003. This paper provides an overview of the economic rationale for emission trading and a description of the major U.S. programs for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). We evaluate these programs along measures of...

Policy-Induced Technology Adoption: Evidence from the U.S. Lead Phasedown

Palavras-chave: Sulfur dioxide; Nitrogen oxides; Emission trading; Power plants; Air pollution; Environmental Economics and Policy; H23; Q25; Q28; D78.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10488

Kerr, Suzi; Newell, Richard G..

The theory of environmental regulation suggests that economic instruments, such as taxes and tradable permits, create more effective technology adoption incentives than conventional regulatory standards. We explore this issue for an important industry undergoing technological responses to a dramatic decrease in allowed pollution levels - the petroleum industry's phasedown of lead in gasoline. Using a panel of refineries from 1971 to 1995, we provide some of the first direct evidence that alternative policies affect the pattern of adoption in expected ways. Importantly, we find that the tradable permit system used during the lead phasedown provided incentives for more efficient technology adoption decisions. Where environmentally appropriate, this suggests...

Land Retirement Program Design and Empirical Assessments In the Presence of Crop Insurance Subsidies

Palavras-chave: Technology; Adoption; Diffusion; Environment; Regulation; Lead; Gasoline; Tradable permit; Incentive-based policy; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; C41; L71; O31; O33; Q28; Q48.

Ano: 2001

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10834

Hennessy, David A.; Miao, Ruiqing; Feng, Hongli.

The U.S. Federal Government implements environmental, biofuels and crop insurance programs that influence land use. They are not well-integrated in that cost savings from crop insurance subsidies are not acknowledged when screening land for retirement or when calculating the cost of land retirement programs. We identify and evaluate an optimal benefit index for enrollment in a land retirement program that includes a sub-index to rank land according to insurance subsidy savings. All else equal, land ranked higher in the Lorenz stochastic order should be retired first. Empirical analysis based on field level data will be provided.

RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ITS IMPACT ON AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT: FINDINGS OF A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN CENTRAL, EASTERN AND SOUTHERN EUROPE

Palavras-chave: Agro-environmental policy; Budget; Conservation reserve program; Crop failure; Environmental benefit index; Lorenz order; Land Economics/Use; Risk and Uncertainty; Q18; Q28.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/104002

Wolz, Axel; Buchenrieder, Gertrud; Markus, Richard.

Rising energy prices for fossil fuels, the unreliable supply of energy imports during the last winters and – concerning the 12 new members states (NMS) – the demand by the European Union (EU) for developing National Renewable Energy Action Plans have stimulated the national discussion and political action on renewable energy (RE) among all European countries. Particularly among the 12 NMS the share of RE has increased during the last years. Among the candidate and potential candidate countries (CC and PCC) the discussion on RE has just started. When looking at the impact of RE on agricultural and rural development the effects are relatively small. An expansion of rape seed cultivation and, to a smaller extent, of the production of wood pellets could be...

Pollution Regulation and the Efficiency Gains from Technological Innovation

Palavras-chave: Renewable energy; Comparative survey; Agricultural and rural development; New members states of the EU; Candidate and potential candidate countries.; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; Political Economy; Public Economics; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; O52; Q10; Q28; Q42; R11.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/94719

Parry, Ian W.H..

Previous studies suggest that emissions taxes are more efficient at stimulating the development of improved pollution abatement technologies than other policy instruments, such as (non-auctioned) tradable emissions permits. We present results from a competitive model that cast some doubt on the empirical importance of this assertion. For example, we find that efficiency in the market for "environmental R&D" under tradable permits is typically less than 6 percent lower than that under an emissions tax for innovations that reduce pollution abatement costs by 10 percent or less. However the discrepancy is more significant in the case of more major innovations. We also find that the presence of R&D spillovers per se does not necessarily imply large...

Controlling Urban Air Pollution Caused by Households: Uncertainty, Prices, and Income

Palavras-chave: Emissions tax; Tradable emissions permits; Performance standard; R&D; Efficiency effects; Patents; Environmental Economics and Policy; Q28; O38.

Ano: 1997

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10653

Chavez, Carlos A.; Stranlund, John K.; Gomez, Walter.

We examine the control of air pollution caused by households burning wood for heating and cooking in the developing world. Since the problem is one of controlling emissions from nonpoint sources, regulations are likely to be directed at household choices of wood consumption and combustion technologies. Moreover, these choices are subtractions from, or contributions to, the pure public good of air quality. Consequently, the efficient policy design is not independent of the distribution of household income. Since it is unrealistic to assume that environmental authorities can make lump sum income transfers part of control policies, efficient control of air pollution caused by wood consumption entails a higher tax on wood consumption and a higher subsidy for...

The Economics of Technology Diffusion: Implications for Climate Policy in Developing Countries

Palavras-chave: Efficiency; Urban air pollution; Nonpoint pollution; Environmental policy; Uncertainty; Environmental Economics and Policy; Public Economics; Risk and Uncertainty; L51; H23; Q28.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/93964

Blackman, Allen.

Recent efforts to forge a consensus on the role developing countries should play in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions have focused attention on climate friendly technologies (CFTs), most notably those that enhance energy efficiency. In the medium term, the effectiveness of technology-based climate strategies will depend critically on the rates at which CFTs diffuse in developing countries. This paper reviews some of the key findings of the economics research on technology diffusion and assesses the implications for climate policy. The most obvious lessons from this research are that widespread diffusion of CFTs may take decades, and that diffusion rates in developing and industrialized countries are likely to be quite different. In addition, the...

Economic Effects of Environmental Taxation on Chemical Fertilizers

Palavras-chave: Technology diffusion; Climate change; Developing countries; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; O33; O38; Q25; Q28; O48.

Ano: 1999

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10574

Kim, Chang-Gil; Stoecker, Arthur L..

This paper analyzes the economic effects of environmental taxes on chemical fertilizer in producing rice. A charge of 10 percent tax on nitrogen fertilizer leads to a reduction in fertilizer use of 1.5 percent without changing rice yield, but the farm income is reduced by 0.6 percent. The tax rate of 100 percent leads to a reduction of 14.6 percent in fertilizer use, a 0.4 percent reduction in rice yield, and a 3.6 percent reduction in farm income. A significant feature of eco-taxes imposed on chemical fertilizers is their revenue potential, which could contribute to increasing government budgets for finance pollution control programs, such as education and R&D. This study provides an insight into the application of market-based instrument to achieve...

The Evolution of NOx Control Policy for Coal-Fired Power Plants in the United States

Palavras-chave: Polluter-pays-principle; Nonpoint pollution; Environmental tax; Nitrogen fertilizer; Negative externalities; Environmental Economics and Policy; Q28; Q52.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25501

Burtraw, Dallas; Evans, David A..

Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx ) contribute to formation of particulate matter and ozone, and also to acidification of the environment. The electricity sector is responsible for about 20% of NOx emissions in the United States, and the sector has been the target of both prescriptive (command-and-control) and flexible (cap-and-trade) approaches to regulation. We summarize the major NOx control policies affecting this sector, and provide some perspectives as to their effectiveness. While both prescriptive and flexible approaches continue to play an important role, significant new proposals have wholly embraced a cap-and-trade approach.

Water Markets and Third Party Effects

Palavras-chave: Emissions trading; Cap and trade; Air pollution; Cost-benefit analysis; Electricity; Particulates; Ozone; Nitrogen oxides; Acid rain; Environmental Economics and Policy; Q25; Q4; D62; Q28.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10645

Bourgeon, Jean-Marc; Easter, K. William; Smith, Rodney B.W..

We examine the potential effects of water trading on aggregate welfare and income distribution across the agricultural and service sector of a small rural economy. We show that per capita welfare (real income) of agents in the region increase with increased water trading. Not surprisingly, if enough agents leaves the region (income flight), nominal income can fall. If the share of household income spent on services is large (small) relative to the cost share of services in agricultural production, then the service price increases (decreases) with increased water trading. Typically when the service price falls (increases) farmers win (lose), service providers lose (win) and agricultural service providers almost always lose. Thus, a natural conflict emerges...

Discounting the Distant Future: How Much Do Uncertain Rates Increase Valuations?

Palavras-chave: Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; Q25; Q28; R0.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25616

Newell, Richard G.; Pizer, William A..

Costs and benefits in the distant future-such as those associated with global warming, long-lived infrastructure, hazardous and radioactive waste, and biodiversity-often have little value today when measured with conventional discount rates. We demonstrate that when the future path of this conventional rate is uncertain and persistent (i.e., highly correlated over time), the distant future should be discounted at lower rates than suggested by the current rate. We then use two centuries of data on U.S. interest rates to quantify this effect. Using both random walk and mean-reverting models, we compute the certainty-equivalent rate that is, the single discount rate that summarizes the effect of uncertainty and measures the appropriate forward rate of...

The Market-based Lead Phasedown

Palavras-chave: Discounting; Uncertainty; Interest rate forecasting; Climate policy; Intergenerational equity; Risk and Uncertainty; D90; E47; C53; H43; Q28.

Ano: 2001

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10743

Newell, Richard G.; Rogers, Kristian.

The U.S. lead phasedown was effective in meeting its environmental objectives, and did so more quickly with the allowance of permit banking. The marketable lead permit system was highly costeffective, saving hundreds of millions of dollars relative to comparable policies not allowing trading or banking. Estimates suggest that transaction costs brought about only a modest reduction in program efficiency. The market-based nature of the program also provided incentives for more efficient adoption of new lead-removing technology, relative to a uniform standard. Distributionally, it is likely that the program was actually more responsive to the cost concerns of small refiners than a similar uniform standard would have been. The flexibility of the program likely...

Environmental and Technology Policies for Climate Change and Renewable Energy

Palavras-chave: Lead phasedown; Gasoline; Tradable permit; Market-based policy; Technology adoption; Environmental Economics and Policy; Q25; Q28; Q21.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10445

Fischer, Carolyn; Newell, Richard G..

We assess different policies for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and promoting the innovation and diffusion of CO2-reducing power technologies: (1) emissions price, (2) tax on fossil power, (3) tradable emissions performance standard, (4) market share requirement for renewables, (5) renewables production subsidy, and (6) R&D subsidy for renewables. We evaluate the relative performance of the policies according to incentives they provide along different avenues for emissions reduction, their efficiency, and other salient outcomes. We also assess how the nature of technological progress-whether it occurs by learning by doing or R&D investment and the degree of knowledge spillovers -affects the desirability of different policies. In a...

Does tendering conservation contracts with performance payments generate additional benefits?

Palavras-chave: Environment; Technology; Policy instruments; Climate change; Renewable energy; Environmental Economics and Policy; Q21; Q28; Q48; O38.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10789

Schilizzi, Steven; Breustedt, Gunnar; Latacz-Lohmann, Uwe.

Policy makers aiming to get private landholders to supply non-marketed environmental services may need to provide efficient economic incentives. Two ideas have been explored to achieve this: linking contract payments to environmental outcomes and submitting the contracts to competitive tender. This paper investigates whether there are any gains to be had by combining the potential benefits of both approaches. Landholders’ risk aversion to only partially controlled outcomes may offset incentive effects if the fall in participation outweighs any increases in individual effort. Controlled lab experiments were designed on the basis of a theoretical model and were run in two countries, with varying rates of payments linked to environmental outcomes. Results...