Explaining adoption of end of pipe solutions and clean technologies

We estimate firms’ probability of technological adoption based on an unbalanced firm level panel data set from four major sectors during the 2000-2003 period. Technological adoption is measured by environ-mental protection investments (EPIs), and we focus particularly on differences between the decisions to adopt end of pipe solutions and clean technology. We find that the probability of a firm to undertake investments in clean technologies to reduce emissions to air increases if the firm has expenditures for R&D related to environmental protec-tion (green R&D). We also find that firm specific energy expenditures contribute in explaining investments in end of pipe solutions, while this factor is not significant for investments in clean technologies. Furthermore, the results show that the two types of technologies are complements with respect to the investment decision, which indicates that policies that stimulate investments in one type of technology tend to affect investment in the other positively as well. In conclusion, pol-icy makers might want to contemplate environmental policy measures that stimulate green R&D in order to stimulate technological adoption.

Does environmental leadership pay off for Swed-ish industry? - Analyzing the effects of environ-mental investments on efficiency

Swedish environmental policy often emphasizes the importance of “taking the lead”. For example, Sweden has chosen a more ambitious climate policy target than required by the European Union (EU), namely a reduction of Swedish emissions of greenhouse gases by 40 percent by 2020 compared to the 1990 level. Government Bill 2008/09:162 emphasizes Sweden’s role as a good example in making an effort to re-duce climate change by showing that an offensive climate policy can indeed be com-bined with high economic growth. This view of environmental policy is, however, the subject of constant debate. A common argument is that environmental requirements induce private costs by forc-ing firms to make investments that crowd out other more productive investments, which hampers productivity growth and therefore competitiveness. Professor Mi-chael E. Porter of Harvard questioned this argument, and his view has become known as the Porter hypothesis (Porter, 1991). This hypothesis implies that levying stringent environmental regulations on firms enhances their productivity compared to competi-tors not subject to, or subject to lax, environmental regulations. A central message is that the connection between environmental regulation and competitiveness should be scrutinized within a dynamic framework (Porter and van der Linde, 1995). The main objective of this paper is to test the Porter hypothesis by assessing static and dynamic effects of environmental policy on productivity within the Swedish manufac-turing industry, specifically on the component total efficiency. The paper adds mainly to previous literature by using unique data on environmental protection investments, divided into investments in pollution control and pollution prevention, as a proxy for envi-ronmental regulation. The distinction between these types of investments is crucial to the understanding of the outcomes anticipated by the Porter hypothesis. The international literature studying the Porter hypothesis is extensive. A comprehen-sive review reveals that neither theoretical nor empirical literature gives general sup-port for the hypothesis (Brännlund and Lundgren, 2009). We argue that, to some ex-tent, the Porter hypothesis has not yet been given a fair chance in the empirical litera-ture, as dynamic effects are often neglected in empirical tests. Two exceptions are Managi et al. (2005) and Lanoie et al. (2008), who first estimate Total Factor Produc-tivity (TFP) scores that then are used as dependent variables in regression analyses where explanatory lagged environmental stringency measures model dynamic effects. A disadvantage with these studies is, however, that environmental stringency is ap-proximated by the cost of complying with environmental command- and-control regulations, such regulations are not emphasized by the Porter hypothesis. The empirical test of the Porter hypothesis is performed as a two-step procedure, where total efficiency scores are first estimated by adopting a stochastic production frontier function approach. In the second step, the efficiency scores are used as the dependent variable in random effects regression analyses, where the independent vari-ables are, e.g., investment in pollution control and pollution prevention. In order to assess whether these investments have dynamic effects on total efficiency these vari-ables are also lagged. If positive effects are established we cannot reject the claim that environmental leadership will benefit the Swedish industry. The estimations are based on firm level data from five Swedish industries for the period 1999-2004, and carried out for the pooled data as well as for the industries separately.

Алгоритм генерации порождающих полиномов М-последовательностей

Тез. докл. XI Междунар. науч.-техн. конф. (науч. чтения, посвящ. П. О. Сухому), Гомель, 20-21 октября 2016 г

RESTAURANT OWNERS PERCEPTIONS OF EFFECTS OF A SMOKING BAN

The aim of this paper is to analyze business owners' expected changes in turnover due to a general smoking ban in restaurants, bars and cafés in Sweden. This is accomplished using a survey mailed out to all 642 restaurants, bars, cafés and nightclubs in Gothenburg. The results show that the dependence on smoking customers and the beliefs on how the whole restaurant sector would be affected are in terms of size and statistical significance, the most important variables for explaining expectations of changes in turnover. The econometric results show that the owners are more likely to expect a decrease in turnover the larger the share of smoking customers is. Moreover, owners are less likely to expect financial losses due to a general smoking ban if establishments do not currently allow smoking or have a non-smoking section. No strong effect of the type of establishment on expected changes in turnover is detected, even though establishments with late night hours are more likely to expect financial losses. The study also, tentatively, concludes that many owners do not take general equilibrium effects into account, which may bias their expectations of turnover downwards. Resistance to a general smoking ban is not only explained by an expected loss in turnover, but also by the owners' attitudes towards customers smoking, property right over air space, and perception of the restaurant sector turnover. Resistance to a smoking ban is also greater among bars/nightclubs and restaurants compared to cafés

What explains attitudes towards tax levels? A multi-tax comparison

We analyse Swedes’ opinions about the level of taxation for eleven different taxes to see what taxes people are most reluctant to and why. The most unpopular tax is the real estate tax, while the corporate tax is the least unpopular. We find a strong self interest effect in attitudes, and for corrective taxes information increases acceptance. We perform two case studies of Swedish tax policy and find political economy reasons for the recent abolition of the gift and inheritance taxes, and weak support for the ongoing green tax shift from labour to environmental taxes

RESTAURANT OWNERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF EFFECTS OF A SMOKING BAN

The aim of this paper is to analyze business owners’ expected changes in turnover due to a general smoking ban in restaurants, bars and cafés in Sweden. This is accomplished using a survey mailed out to all 642 restaurants, bars, cafés and nightclubs in Gothenburg. The results show that the dependence on smoking customers and the beliefs on how the whole restaurant sector would be affected are in terms of size and statistical significance, the most important variables for explaining expectations of changes in turnover. The econometric results show that the owners are more likely to expect a decrease in turnover the larger the share of smoking customers is. Moreover, owners are less likely to expect financial losses due to a general smoking ban if establishments do not currently allow smoking or have a non-smoking section. No strong effect of the type of establishment on expected changes in turnover is detected, even though establishments with late night hours are more likely to expect financial losses. The study also,tentatively, concludes that many owners do not take general equilibrium effects into account, which may bias their expectations of turnover downwards. Resistance to a general smoking ban is not only explained by an expected loss in turnover, but also by the owners’ attitudes towards customers smoking, property right over air space, and perception of the restaurant sector turnover. Resistance to a smoking ban is also greater among bars/nightclubs and restaurants compared to cafés.Smoking ban; cigarette consumption; policy

Incorporating environmental institutions in environmental policy: changing behaviour by decisive information

In this paper, I discuss, from a policy perspective, the relation between environmental institutions and transaction costs. I stress the importance of environmental institutions in providing decisive information, i.e. information that induces changes in behaviour, and thereby facilitates environmentally sound choices. If the objective is to put the economy on a sustainable path, I suggest that environmental institutions are one efficient means to loosen informational and political constraints in environmental policy, and, hence, that investment in environmental institutions is justified. The rationale is that environmental institutions direct the economy to a path where percentage growth in GDP is less wasteful. Expressions of environmental institutions - consumer awareness, producer responsibility and environmental organisations - are also discussed in order to make the discussion more tangible, i.e. how these provide decisive information.decisive information; environmental institutions; environmental policy; externalities; transaction costs.

THE EFFECT OF CIGARETTE PRICES AND ANTISMOKING POLICIES ON THE AGE OF SMOKING INITIATION

This study differs from most previous studies on smoking initiation by studying the age of smoking onset, and not merely smoking initiation. We apply duration analysis to estimate the determinants of the age of smoking initiation by using data from a questionnaire mailed to a sample of smokers in Sweden. We examine the impact of individual characteristics and public policies such as laws, regulations and cigarette prices, on the age of smoking initiation. Public polices do not show a significant effect on the age of smoking initiation. However, since the effects are difficult to measure, the insignificant parameters of public policies should be interpreted with caution. The significance of time trend might reflect long term effects of public policies. We also discuss the effects of public policies at some length in light of our results. Moreover, we find that men start smoking at younger age than women, and that smokers with smoking parents start at a younger age than smokers with non-smoking parents