Taxes in the Time of Revolution: An Experimental Test of the Rentier State during Algeria's Hirak

In this paper we examine the rentier thesis that a state's control over oil resources should help it resist calls for democratization. During Algeria's mass mobilization for regime change known as the Hirak in 2019, we implemented an interactive experimental treatment providing specific information about the Algerian government's high subsidies of gasoline and low value-added taxes with regional comparisons. Based on a sample of 5,968 Algerians, we find that when Algerians learn about their country's relatively high level of fuel subsidies and low level of taxes, their assessments of the government's performance improves; however, we do not see similar patterns for respondents' expressed intention to join the protests due to treatment heterogeneity defined by respondent wealth. Wealthier respondents report lower protest intentions upon learning about the scope of the rentier state, whereas poorer respondents report much higher protest intentions upon receiving the treatment. As a result, we find that the rentier state may be capable of improving perceptions of regime performance, yet still permit mass mobilization if there are class differences in the perceived benefits derived from redistribution.

A Systematic Literature Review: Fuel subsidy and consumer environmental awareness in urban road transport

Using a systematic literature review, we explore fuel subsidies and consumer environmental awareness among users in urban road transport. Fuel subsidies given by the government to the public have to some extent brought them to more using own transport as the fuel cost is now cheaper. A growing number of vehicles and usage in the urban road transport sector worldwide has increased CO2 emissions and impact on environment. The misalignment of benefits from the implementation of fossil fuel subsidies and high emissions has grown attention to limit global warming since the Paris Agreement 2015 was signed. Nonetheless, consumer environmental awareness is interesting to bring forward for future research. Keywords: Fuel Subsidy, Consumer Environmental Awareness, Urban Road Transport, Systematic Literature Review eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i18.3097

International Norms, Policy Transfers and Energy Transition: Implications for Taiwan’s Development

The development of renewable energy policies in Taiwan has been thoroughly discussed from political, economic, social, industrial and environmental perspectives. Energy policies, particularly those adopted by the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations, have influenced both (1) the decision-making process of energy policies such as action plans, programs and (2) the transition to renewable energies. This paper argues that the transfer of global environmental and energy policies serves as the mechanism behind Taiwan’s efforts to expand renewable energy production. These global policies have so far been practiced by international organizations through agreements designed to combat climate change, achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), and reduce fossil fuel subsidies. This paper examines renewable energy policies and legislation in Taiwan through the lens of policy transfers, an area which has not been fully explored in previous research.