Quantitative research in economic history in Europe after 1945

"Das Forschungsinteresse westeuropäischer Wirtschaftshistoriker hat sich den jeweiligen ökonomischen Problemen der Zeit flexibel angepaßt. Nachdem es sich zunächst auf die Wirtschaftskonjunkturen gerichtet hatte, verlagerte es sich auf das Wirtschaftswachstum. Gegen Ende der euphorischen 1960er Jahre widmete man sich allerdings erneut der Untersuchung langer Wellen. Zu einem großen Teil befaßte sich die quantitative Wirtschaftsgeschichte mit der Erstellung einer Datenbasis. Daneben gab es bedeutende empirische Untersuchungen, die Auswirkungen auf die Wirtschaftstheorie ausübten. Die aus Amerika stammende New Economic History School zeigte keine allzu lang anhaltende Wirkung in Westeuropa. Gründe dafür wurden ausführlich an anderer Stelle dargelegt. Wichtiger ist allerdings wohl, daß westeuropäische Wirtschaftshistoriker neben dem Aufbau stärker abgesicherter Datensammlungen bedeutsame Änderungen in der Wirtschaftstheorie herbeiführten. Mit diesen wichtigen Änderungen der Theorie ist der Historiker aus der Zwangslage befreit, nun jedes wirtschaftshistorische Phänomen dem neoklassischen Rahmen einfügen zu müssen. Bei stärkerem Einsatz statistisch-ökonomischer Methoden werden die Wirtschaftshistoriker noch weiteren Einfluß auf die Wirtschaftstheorie nehmen können. So müßten die volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnungen, die bisher aufgestellt wurden, gründlich überprüft werden, selbst wenn sie einst in der Nachkriegszeit einen Meilenstein der Forschung darstellten. Die konstanten durchschnittlichen Wachstumsraten, die in diese volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnungen eingingen, müssen abgeändert werden. Man kann erwarten, daß das Forschungsprojekt zur Produktivitätsentwicklung, an dem jetzt gearbeitet wird, einen wichtigen Beitrag sowohl zu empirischen als auch zu theoretischen Aspekten zu leisten vermag. Bei der Forschung über die langen Wellen muß sicher mehr Gewicht auf die entscheidenden Komponenten des wirtschaftlichen Fortschritts gelegt werden, nämlich auf Vorgänge der Faktorsubstitution und der Faktorverwendung. Größere Aufmerksamkeit sollte auch den Länder- und Sektorenvergleichen zukommen, mit denen man jeweils ein Führen oder Nachhinken ('leads' und 'lags') aufspüren könnte." (Autorenreferat

How CBAM can become a steppingstone towards carbon pricing globally

Following the introduction of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), this policy brief considers issues relating to its implementation, in particular the possibility to reduce CBAM liability if a carbon price has already been paid in the country of origin of the goods. This provision is designed to incentivise the use of carbon pricing across the world. However, the legal text leaves room for interpretation and the EU will have to clarify these issues further in the coming months. This offers a golden opportunity to encourage carbon pricing in third countries, whether regulatory or non-regulatory, and thereby strengthen global action to address climate change.Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them

Why the new climate tech finance boom might end better this time round

While records amounts of venture capital are being invested in climate tech, we ask the question what is different now as compared to the investment boom of 10 years ago which by and large ended in bust. We find that we are in a better technological position than 10 years ago, mainly due to the success in bringing the cost of solar, wind and batteries down. However, financial barriers to massive deployment of these renewable assets remain. And more than half of the emission reductions needed for net zero needs to come from technologies that are not yet mature. While the innovation finance ecosystem is more mature now than 10 years ago, the EU is still lagging behind in venture capital. Public authorities are also more supportive now, but hard nuts regarding carbon pricing need to be cracked. These challenges come together in the case of decarbonisation of maritime shipping, which is one of the so called hard-to-abate-sectors. In conclusion, although a repeat of the boom and bust of climate tech of 10 years ago is less likely, it cannot be excluded. Financiers, innovators and policy makers should act on the lessons learnt

New instruments for environmental policy in the EU : environmental taxes and charges in the EU

Digitised version produced by the EUI Library and made available online in 2020

Options to finance the premium cost of climate-neutral products in the EU : the potential of the ETS and demand creation

Materials such as cement, steel and chemicals can account for up to 90% of CO2 emissions in key value chains and industries, such as electronics, construction, automotive, food and fashion. To meet climate targets, it is necessary to develop and deploy new breakthrough technologies that can ultimately transition the supply chain towards climate-neutral production and products. As has been recognised by the European Green Deal, the market for climate-neutral materials offers growth opportunities for European industry, and the opportunity to attract a bigger share of the global clean-tech growth capital. For this to happen, Europe needs robust tools to close the cost gap. This Policy Brief proposes two immediate measures that can address the cost gap by generating additional revenue streams: i) turning EU ETS free allocation into innovation funding, for example by including climate-neutral products in the ETS or putting EU ETS Allowances from free allocation into a Climate Investment Fund and ii) creating informed demand and ambitious timelines for climate-neutral products. Both policy tools are available to be implemented within a short time

Towards an EU policy agenda for Voluntary Carbon Markets

The future of Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM) remains uncertain as environmental quality concerns, trust issues and market fragmentation prevents the emergence of a sizeable and liquid market. VCM growth will depend largely on better market organisation and oversight, and on strengthening environmental integrity. This policy brief diagnoses problems and outlines the EU’s actions that could contribute constructively to the further development of VCM and attainment of the goals of the Paris Agreement.Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them

Certifying land-use based carbon dioxide removals : outline of a strawman proposal

Science is clear that to reduce the impacts of climate change increasing amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) will have to be removed from the atmosphere, even if all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were to be completely eliminated. Land-based activities, such as forest, agricultural or soil management, have the potential to remove and/or store significant amounts of carbon. However, a number of concerns exist around the measurability and the non-permanence of natural carbon sinks, with related risks of ‘greenwashing’ due to reversals, leakages, and double-counting. These concerns will need to be addressed satisfactorily when developing a robust, transparent, and dynamic EU-wide CO2 removals certification system. It should be developed step-by-step and allow for learning-bydoing. Initial focus should be on those land-based CO2 removal options for which high-quality monitoring capability already exists, such as afforestation, reforestation, agro-forestry and biochar. Transparency will be key. Each CO2 removal certificate – representing a tonne of CO2 removed from the atmosphere for a specified period of time – will have to carry a minimum set of information including geo-references, period of validity, methodologies used and on-going monitoring requirements to be followed. Additional information, for example, in terms of promoting biodiversity, could highlight co-benefits. The governance of an EU-wide certification system will have to clarify roles and responsibilities of different public and private actors, establishing sufficient checks and balances in developing methodologies and their use, keeping track of issuance, ownership, and transactions in the central EU registry, as well as regulating public access. If successful, an EU-wide CO2 removal certification system could set a new international standard. In the EU, it would lay the foundation for creating performance-based incentive systems, which can be created via standards, direct public support like under the Common Agriculture Policy, voluntary markets, and compliance markets such as the EU emissions trading system

The mechanization of Flemish industry 1812 - 1930: the case of Antwerp

status: publishe