scholarly journals Carbon Taxes and CO2 Emissions: Sweden as a Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julius J. Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Carbon Tax ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Control Unit ◽  
Synthetic Control ◽  
Carbon Taxes ◽  
Comparable Group ◽  
Elasticity Of Demand ◽  
Quasi Experimental

This quasi-experimental study is the first to find a significant causal effect of carbon taxes on emissions, empirically analyzing the implementation of a carbon tax and a value-added tax on transport fuel in Sweden. After implementation, carbon dioxide emissions from transport declined almost 11 percent, with the largest share due to the carbon tax alone, relative to a synthetic control unit constructed from a comparable group of OECD countries. Furthermore, the carbon tax elasticity of demand for gasoline is three times larger than the price elasticity. Policy evaluations of carbon taxes, using price elasticities to simulate emission reductions, may thus significantly underestimate their true effect. (JEL H23, L91, Q54, Q58)

Effectiveness of Private and Public High Schools: Evidence from Finland

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mika Kortelainen ◽  
Kalle Manninen
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Private Schools ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Public High Schools ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Difference

Abstract A number of papers have compared the effectiveness of private and public schools in different institutional settings. However, most of these studies are observational and do not utilize experimental or quasi-experimental design to evaluate the value-added or the effectiveness of private schools in comparison to public schools. This study focuses on private and public high schools in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. We use two different methods to compare private and public schools, value-added estimation and regression discontinuity design (RDD). Although based on somewhat different assumptions, both methods allow us to evaluate the causal effect of private schools on the exit exam results in high school. We find that private schools perform marginally better than public schools, but the difference in performance is very small and statistically insignificant according to both methods. Various robustness and validity checks strengthen our RDD results and the validity of the discontinuity design.

scholarly journals UK Consumers’ Preferences for Ethical Attributes of Floating Rice: Implications for Environmentally Friendly Agriculture in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8354
Author(s):  
Vo Hong Tu ◽  
Steven W. Kopp ◽  
Nguyen Thuy Trang ◽  
Andreas Kontoleon ◽  
Mitsuyasu Yabe
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Co2 Emission Reduction ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Rice Farmers ◽  
Floating Rice ◽  
The Uk

Vietnam plays an important role in bearing global food security. However, Vietnamese rice farmers face several challenges, including pressures to develop sustainable livelihoods while reducing the environmental impacts of their production activities. Various Vietnamese agricultural restructuring policies were promulgated to promote the adoption of environmentally friendly practices to generate high value added for rice farmers, but the farmers are reluctant to adopt them because of perceived lack of demand. Decreasing consumption of rice in Asia and increasing demands in Europe shaped Vietnamese rice exporting policies. New trade agreements, such as the UK–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, offer new target markets for Vietnamese rice farmers. This research provides empirical evidence related to the preferences of UK consumers for ethical attributes for floating rice imported from Vietnam. Floating rice represents a traditional method of rice cultivation that relies on the natural flooding cycle. Its cultivation uses very few agrochemical inputs and provides several other environmental, economic, and social benefits. In an online survey, the study used a choice experiment that asked 306 UK consumers to report their preferences for one kilo of floating rice with three non-market attributes: reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, allocation of profits to the farmers, and restitution of biodiversity. Overall, study participants favored the attributes of floating rice, but reported utility for only the “fair trade” attribute and for a marginal willingness to pay premiums for profit allocations to farmers. Consumers did not find value in either CO2 emission reduction or biodiversity improvement. Results from the study provide recommendations to develop agricultural programs, distribution strategies, and informational methods to encourage floating rice consumption in the UK.

scholarly journals When is a Match Sufficient? A Score-based Balance Metric for the Synthetic Control Method

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-228
Author(s):  
Layla Parast ◽  
Priscillia Hunt ◽  
Beth Ann Griffin ◽  
David Powell
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Control Unit ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Synthetic Control ◽  
Donor Pool ◽  
Synthetic Control Method ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn some applications, researchers using the synthetic control method (SCM) to evaluate the effect of a policy may struggle to determine whether they have identified a “good match” between the control group and treated group. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of the mean and maximum Absolute Standardized Mean Difference (ASMD) as a test of balance between a synthetic control unit and treated unit, and provide guidance on what constitutes a poor fit when using a synthetic control. We explore and compare other potential metrics using a simulation study. We provide an application of our proposed balance metric to the 2013 Los Angeles (LA) Firearm Study [9]. Using Uniform Crime Report data, we apply the SCM to obtain a counterfactual for the LA firearm-related crime rate based on a weighted combination of control units in a donor pool of cities. We use this counterfactual to estimate the effect of the LA Firearm Study intervention and explore the impact of changing the donor pool and pre-intervention duration period on resulting matches and estimated effects. We demonstrate how decision-making about the quality of a synthetic control can be improved by using ASMD. The mean and max ASMD clearly differentiate between poor matches and good matches. Researchers need better guidance on what is a meaningful imbalance between synthetic control and treated groups. In addition to the use of gap plots, the proposed balance metric can provide an objective way of determining fit.

scholarly journals The Costs of Economic Nationalism: Evidence from the Brexit Experiment*

2019 ◽  
Vol 129 (623) ◽  
pp. 2722-2744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Born ◽  
Gernot J Müller ◽  
Moritz Schularick ◽  
Petr Sedláček
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Control ◽  
Control Methods ◽  
Economic Nationalism ◽  
Output Loss ◽  
Structural Time Series ◽  
Time Series Estimation ◽  
Series Estimation ◽  
Synthetic Control Methods ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Unexpected Outcome

Abstract Economic nationalism is on the rise, but at what cost? We study this question using the unexpected outcome of the Brexit referendum vote as a natural macroeconomic experiment. Employing synthetic control methods, we first show that the Brexit vote has caused a UK output loss of 1.7% to 2.5% by year-end 2018. An expectations-augmented VAR suggests that these costs are, to a large extent, driven by a downward revision of growth expectations in response to the vote. Linking quasi-experimental identification to structural time-series estimation allows us not only to quantify the aggregate costs but also to understand the channels through which expected economic disintegration impacts the macroeconomy.

The effects of social housing regeneration schemes on employment: The case of the Glasgow Stock Transfer

Urban Studies ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 004209802110470
Author(s):  
Meng Le Zhang ◽  
George Galster ◽  
David Manley ◽  
Gwilym Pryce
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Housing Association ◽  
City Council ◽  
Heterogeneous Effects ◽  
Employment Multiplier ◽  
Capital Spending ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Regeneration is an internationally popular policy for improving distressed neighbourhoods dominated by large social housing developments. Stimulating employment is often touted as a secondary benefit, but this claim has rarely been evaluated convincingly. In 2003, Glasgow City Council transferred ownership of its entire social housing stock to the Glasgow Housing Association and over £4 billion was invested in physical repairs, social services and other regeneration activities. Using a linked census database of individuals (Scottish Longitudinal Study), we evaluate the causal effect of the Stock Transfer on employment in Glasgow through a quasi-experimental design that exploits idiosyncrasies and changes in Glasgow’s administrative boundaries. We find that the Stock Transfer had a positive effect on employment for Glasgow residents who were not living in transferred social housing stock. We establish that this effect was mainly accomplished through the local employment multiplier effect of capital spending rather than through any other programmatic elements of the Stock Transfer. Exploratory analysis shows heterogeneous effects: individuals who were over 21, female, living with dependent children and with less education were less likely to benefit from the intervention. We did not find significant subgroup effects by neighbourhood deprivation.

scholarly journals Fooled by Performance Randomness: Overrewarding Luck

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 658-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romain Gauriot ◽  
Lionel Page
Keyword(s):  
Causal Effect ◽  
Experimental Situation ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
High Quality ◽  
High Quality Data ◽  
Economic Organizations ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Similar Location ◽  
Do So

We provide evidence of a violation of the informativeness principle whereby lucky successes are overly rewarded. We isolate a quasi-experimental situation where the success of an agent is as good as random. To do so, we use high-quality data on football (soccer) matches and select shots on goal that landed on the goal posts. Using nonscoring shots, taken from a similar location on the pitch, as counterfactuals to scoring shots, we estimate the causal effect of a lucky success (goal) on the evaluation of the player's performance. We find clear evidence that luck is overly influencing managers' decisions and evaluators' ratings. Our results suggest that this phenomenon is likely to be widespread in economic organizations.

scholarly journals ENERGY-RELATED CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFICIENCY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AGRICULTURE: COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT BENCHMARKING TECHNIQUES

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Baležentis ◽  
Daiva Makutėnienė
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
European Union ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽  
Value Added ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Undesirable Output ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Desirable Output ◽  
Low Performance

The literature suggests different approaches towards modelling of the environmental impact caused by the production processes. The present paper attempts to establish a framework for multicriteria comparison of agricultural sectors of the European Union Member States and identify the performance gaps in terms of energy-related carbon dioxide emission. The research relies on the two approaches, viz. the by-production approach and the multi-criteria decision making approach. The environmental performance indicators were evaluated in regards to the desirable output (gross value added), inputs, and the undesirable output (carbon dioxide emission). The results indicate that Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Hungary should attempt to improve their carbon factors by implementing cleaner energy technologies. The combinations of by-production sub-indices suggest that productivity gains are more important for Sweden, Belgium, Poland, and France. Czech Republic, Latvia, and Finland are specific with low performance in terms of both the intended production and the undesirable output. The MCDM approach identified similar trends in performance as suggested by country ranking and correlation analysis.

scholarly journals Increasing the Willingness to Participate in Organ Donation Through Humorous Health Communication: (Quasi-)Experimental Evidence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Betsch ◽  
Nora Katharina Küpke ◽  
Leonie Otten ◽  
Eckart von Hirschhausen
Keyword(s):  
Health Communication ◽  
Organ Donation ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Entertainment Education ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Neutral Information ◽  
Willingness To Donate ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Increasing people’s willingness to donate organs after their death requires effective communication strategies. In two preregistered studies, we assessed whether humorous entertainment education formats on organ donation elicit positive effects on knowledge, fears, attitudes, and behavioral intentions – both immediately after the treatment and four weeks later. We test whether perceived funniness mediates expected effects on attitudes and intentions. Study 1 is a quasi-experiment which uses a live medical comedy show (N = 3,964) as an entertainment education format, which either contained or did not contain information about organ donation. Study 2, a lab experiment, tests humor’s causal effect in a pre-post design with a control group (N = 144) in which the same content was provided in either a humorous or non-humorous way in an audio podcast. Results showed that humorous interventions per se were not more effective than neutral information, but that informing people about organ donation in general increased donation intentions, attitudes, and knowledge. However, humorous interventions were especially effective in reducing fears related to organ donation. The findings are discussed regarding the opportunities for sensitive health communication through entertainment education formats, psychological processes that humor triggers, and humor’s role in health communication formats.

scholarly journals Capture, Storage and Utilization of Carbon Dioxide by Microalgae and Production of Biomaterials

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 574-586
Author(s):  
Marta Bertolini ◽  
Fosca Conti
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Carbon Capture ◽  
Extracellular Polymeric Substances ◽  
Incubation Temperature ◽  
Carbon Capture And Storage ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Culture Conditions ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Operative Strategies

Abstract Carbon dioxide emissions are strongly related to climate change and increase of global temperature. Whilst a complete change in producing materials and energy and in traffic and transportation systems is already in progress and circular economy concepts are on working, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) represent technically practicable operative strategies. Both technologies have main challenges related to high costs, so that further advanced research is required to obtain feasible options. In this article, the focus is mainly on CCU using microalgae that are able to use CO2 as building block for value-added products such as biofuels, EPS (Extracellular Polymeric Substances), biomaterials and electricity. The results of three strains (UTEX 90, CC 2656, and CC 1010) of the microalgal organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii are discussed. The results about ideal culture conditions suggest incubation temperature of 30 °C, pH between 6.5 and 7.0, concentrations of acetate between 1.6 and 2.3 g L–1 and of ammonium chloride between 0.1 and 0.5 g L–1, the addition of glucose This green microalga is a valid model system to optimize the production of biomass, carbohydrates and lipids.

scholarly journals Managers' Productivity and Recruitment in the Public Sector: The Case of School Principals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Muñoz ◽  
Mounu Prem
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Personnel Selection ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Civil Service Reform ◽  
The Public ◽  
Value Added Model ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Survey Responses

We study whether differences in management can explain variation in productivity and how more effective managers can be recruited in absence of high-powered incentives. To investigate this, we first extend the canonical teacher value-added model to account for school principals, and we document substantial variation in their ability to improve students’ learning. Teachers’ survey responses and quasi-experimental designs based on changes in school management validate our measure of principal effectiveness. Then, we leverage the timing of adoption of a civil service reform and show that despite having relatively rigid wages, public schools were able to attract more effective managers after increasing the competitiveness and transparency of their personnel selection process.

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