Temporal and spatial homogeneity in air pollutants panel EKC estimations: Two nonparametric tests applied to Spanish provinces

Although panel data have been used intensively by a wealth of studies investigating the GDP-pollution relationship, the poolability assumption used to model these data is almost never addressed. This paper applies a strategy to test the poolability assumption with methods robust to functional misspecification. Nonparametric poolability tests are performed to check the temporal and spatial homogeneity of the panel and their results are compared with the conventional F-tests for a balanced panel of 48 Spanish provinces on four air pollutant emissions (CH4, CO, CO2 and NMVOC) over the 1990-2002 period. We show that temporal homogeneity may allow the pooling of the data and drive to well-defined nonparametric and parametric cross-sectional U-inverted shapes for all air pollutants. However, the presence of spatial heterogeneity makes this shape compatible with different timeseries patterns in every province - mainly increasing or decreasing depending on the pollutant. These results highlight the extreme sensitivity of the income-pollution relationship to region- or country-specific factors.Environmental Kuznets Curve; Air pollutants; Non/Semiparametric estimations; Poolability tests

Temporal and spatial homogeneity in air pollutants panel EKC estimations: Two nonparametric tests applied to Spanish provinces

Although panel data have been used intensively by a wealth of studies investigating the GDP-pollution relationship, the poolability assumption used to model these data is almost never addressed. This paper applies a strategy to test the poolability assumption with methods robust to functional misspecification. Nonparametric poolability tests are performed to check the temporal and spatial homogeneity of the panel and their results are compared with the conventional F-tests for a balanced panel of 48 Spanish provinces on four air pollutant emissions (CH4, CO, CO2 and NMVOC) over the 1990-2002 period. We show that temporal homogeneity may allow the pooling of the data and drive to well-defined nonparametric and parametric cross-sectional U-inverted shapes for all air pollutants. However, the presence of spatial heterogeneity makes this shape compatible with different timeseries patterns in every province - mainly increasing or decreasing depending on the pollutant. These results highlight the extreme sensitivity of the income-pollution relationship to region- or country-specific factors.Environmental Kuznets Curve, Air pollutants, Non/Semiparametric estimations, Poolability tests

Temporal and Spatial Homogeneity in Air Pollutants Panel EKC Estimations: Two Nonparametric Tests Applied to Spanish Provinces

Although panel data have been used intensively by a wealth of studies investigating the GDP-pollution relationship, the poolability assumption used to model these data is almost never addressed. This paper applies a strategy to test the poolability assumption with methods robust to functional misspecification. Nonparametric poolability tests are performed to check the temporal and spatial homogeneity of the panel and their results are compared with the conventional F-tests for a balanced panel of 48 Spanish provinces on four air pollutant emissions (CH4, CO, CO2 and NMVOC) over the 1990-2002 period. We show that temporal homogeneity may allow the pooling of the data and drive to well-defined nonparametric and parametric cross-sectional U-inverted shapes for all air pollutants. However, the presence of spatial heterogeneity makes this shape compatible with different time-series patterns in every province—mainly increasing or decreasing depending on the pollutant. These results highlight the extreme sensitivity of the income-pollution relationship to region- or country-specific factor

Growth and Pollution Convergence: Theory and Evidence

Stabilizing pollution levels in the long run is a pre-requisite for sustainable growth. We develop a neoclassical growth model with endogenous emission reduction predicting that, along optimal sustainable paths, pollution growth rates are (i) positively related to output growth (scale effect) and (ii) negatively related to emission levels (defensive effect). This dynamic law reduces to a convergence equation that is empirically tested for two major and regulated air pollutants - sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides - with a panel of 25 European countries spanning the years 1980-2005. Traditional parametric models are rejected by the data. More flexible regression techniques confirm the existence of both the scale and the defensive effect, supporting the model predictions.Air pollution, convergence, economic growth, nonparametric regressions.

Growth and the pollution convergence hypothesis: A nonparametric approach

The pollution-convergence hypothesis is formalized in a neoclassical growth model with optimal emissions reduction: pollution growth rates are positively correlated with output growth (scale effect) but negatively correlated with emission levels (defensive effect). This dynamic law is empirically tested for two major and regulated air pollutants - nitrogen oxides (NOX) and sulfur oxides (SOX) - with a panel of 25 European countries spanning over years 1980-2005. Traditional parametric models are rejected by the data. However, more flexible regression techniques - semiparametric additive specifications and fully nonparametric regressions with discrete and continuous factors - confirm the existence of the predicted positive and defensive effects. By analyzing the spatial distributions of per capita emissions, we also show that cross-country pollution gaps have decreased over the period for both pollutants and within the Eastern as well as the Western European areas. A Markov modeling approach predicts further cross-country absolute convergence, in particular for SOX. The latter results hold in the presence of spatial non-convergence in per capita income levels within both regions.Air pollution, convergence, economic growth, mixed nonparametric regressions, distribution dynamics.

Growth and the pollution convergence hypothesis: a nonparametric approach

The pollution-convergence hypothesis is formalized in a neoclassical growth model with optimal emissions reduction: pollution growth rates are positively correlated with output growth (scale effect) but negatively correlated with emission levels (defensive effect). This dynamic law is empirically tested for two major and regulated air pollutants - nitrogen oxides (NOX) and sulfur oxides (SOX) - with a panel of 25 European countries spanning over years 1980-2005. Traditional parametric models are rejected by the data. However, more flexible regression techniques - semiparametric additive specifications and fully nonparametric regressions with discrete and continuous factors - confirm the existence of the predicted positive and defensive effects. By analyzing the spatial distributions of per capita emissions, we also show that cross-country pollution gaps have decreased over the period for both pollutants and within the Eastern as well as the Western European areas. A Markov modeling approach predicts further cross-country absolute convergence, in particular for SOX. The latter results hold in the presence of spatial non-convergence in per capita income levels within both regions.Air pollution, convergence, economic growth, mixed nonparametric regressions, distribution dynamics

Temporal and spatial homogeneity in air pollutants panel EKC estimations: Two nonparametric tests applied to Spanish provinces

Although panel data have been used intensively by a wealth of studies investigating the GDP-pollution relationship, the poolability assumption used to model these data is almost never addressed. This paper applies a strategy to test the poolability assumption with methods robust to functional misspecification. Nonparametric poolability tests are performed to check the temporal and spatial homogeneity of the panel and their results are compared with the conventional F-tests for a balanced panel of 48 Spanish provinces on four air pollutant emissions (CH4, CO, CO2 and NMVOC) over the 1990-2002 period. We show that temporal homogeneity may allow the pooling of the data and drive to well-defined nonparametric and parametric cross-sectional U-inverted shapes for all air pollutants. However, the presence of spatial heterogeneity makes this shape compatible with different timeseries patterns in every province - mainly increasing or decreasing depending on the pollutant. These results highlight the extreme sensitivity of the income-pollution relationship to region- or country-specific factors

Noviolencia, objeción de conciencia e insumisión en España, 1970-1990

La resistencia al servicio militar obligatorio en España durante el último tercio del siglo XX, sirvió para articular un importante movimiento antimilitarista y juvenil. Este movimiento comenzó durante la década de los setenta muy ligado a la doctrina de la noviolencia y su vinculación con la objeción de conciencia. Durante la década siguiente la resistencia al servicio militar se hizo cada vez más extensa entre la juventud española. La extendida desobediencia a las leyes de conscripción acabó forzando el fin del servicio militar obligatorio. Para conseguir este objetivo, los jóvenes desobedientes tuvieron que hacer frente a diversos contextos políticos, redefiniendo sus estrategias, logrando conseguir un paulatino aumento de apoyos sociales, consiguiendo un constante trasvase generacional y sobre todo asumiendo y convirtiendo la represión derivada de la desobediencia a las leyes en algo dañino para el propio Gobierno.Resistance to compulsory military service in Spain during the last third of the twentieth century, served to the emergence and spread of anti-militarist movement. This movement began during the seventies closely linked to the doctrine of nonviolence and its link to conscientious objection. Over the next decade the resistance to military service became increasingly widespread among the Spanish youth. The widespread disobedience to the laws eventually forced conscription to compulsory military service. To achieve this goal, disobedient young people faced different political contexts, redefining their strategies, managing to get a gradual increase of social supports, getting a constant generational transfer and especially assuming and converting the resulting suppression of disobedience to the laws something harmful to the Government.A resistência ao serviço militar obrigatório na Espanha durante o último terço do século XX, serviu para articular um importante movimento antimilitarista e juvenil. Este movimento começou durante os anos setenta intimamente ligados com a doutrina da não-violência e sua relação com a objeção de consciência. Durante a seguinte década a resistência ao serviço militar tornou-se cada vez mais difundida entre a juventude espanhola. A desobediência generalizada às leis de recrutamento compulsório acabou forçando o fim do serviço militar obrigatório. Para alcançar este objetivo, os jovens desobedientes enfrentaram diferentes contextos políticos, redefinindo suas estratégias, conseguindo atingir um aumento gradual dos apoios sociais, obtendo uma constante transferência geracional e, especialmente, assumindo e tornando a repressão resultante da desobediência às leis em algo prejudicial para o próprio governo

Temporal and spatial homogeneity in air pollutants panel EKC estimations: Two nonparametric tests applied to Spanish provinces

Although panel data have been used intensively by a wealth of studies investigating the GDP-pollution relationship, the poolability assumption used to model these data is almost never addressed. This paper applies a strategy to test the poolability assumption with methods robust to functional misspecification. Nonparametric poolability tests are performed to check the temporal and spatial homogeneity of the panel and their results are compared with the conventional F-tests for a balanced panel of 48 Spanish provinces on four air pollutant emissions (CH4, CO, CO2 and NMVOC) over the 1990-2002 period. We show that temporal homogeneity may allow the pooling of the data and drive to well-defined nonparametric and parametric cross-sectional U-inverted shapes for all air pollutants. However, the presence of spatial heterogeneity makes this shape compatible with different timeseries patterns in every province - mainly increasing or decreasing depending on the pollutant. These results highlight the extreme sensitivity of the income-pollution relationship to region- or country-specific factors