Support measures in the face of the energy crisis and the rise in inflation: an analysis of the cost and distributional effects of some of the measures rolled out based on their degree of targeting

Rationale A variety of policy measures have been put in place in recent months to support households and firms through the upswing in prices. Analysing the design of these measures, as well as their distributional and budgetary impact, is crucial in any economic context, but even more so at the current juncture, characterised by the presence of fiscal imbalances. Takeaways •Most of the fiscal measures recently implemented in Spain to tackle the energy crisis and surging prices are largely non-targeted measures, rather than measures targeted at the most vulnerable households and firms. •According to calculations, the reductions in VAT on basic foodstuffs and on electricity and gas resulted in greater savings for low-income households as a percentage of their total expenditure, while the fuel subsidy may have benefited high-income households relatively more. •Alternative measures targeting vulnerable households based on their income could provide protection at a level that is comparable to the actual measures but at a lower cost and without distorting price signals

The crucial role of social welfare criteria for optimal inheritance taxation

En este artículo se calibra el impuesto óptimo a las herencias derivado por Piketty y Saez (2013) mostrando que diferentes supuestos sobre la función de bienestar social dan lugar a tipos óptimos muy dispares, que varían desde tipos negativos (cuando el criterio de bienestar social es utilitarista) hasta tipos positivos y elevados (incluso suponiendo que la motivación del donante es de tipo joy of giving). También se calibra el tipo óptimo por percentiles de herencia recibida, como hacen Piketty y Saez, pero teniendo en cuenta la heterogeneidad en riqueza y rentas del trabajo. El resultado es que el tipo impositivo óptimo desde la perspectiva de quienes no reciben ninguna herencia varía significativamente, en contraste con el tipo impositivo constante que obtienen Piketty y SaezThis paper calibrates the full social optimal inheritance tax rate derived by Piketty and Saez (2013) and shows that different assumptions on the form of the social welfare function lead to very different optimal inheritance tax rates, ranging from negative (under a utilitarian criterion) to positive and large (even assuming joy of giving motives). The paper also calibrates the optimal tax rate by percentile of the distribution of bequest received, as Piketty and Saez do, but accounting for heterogeneity in wealth and labor income. The result is that the optimal tax rate from the perspective of the non-receivers varies signifi cantly, contrary to the constant tax rate obtained by these author

STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR METROPOLITAN PLANS OF COASTAL AREAS. THE CASE OF VALENCIA

[EN] Many uses of land, such as for building and all kinds of infrastructure, are concentrated in the metropolitan areas of coastal cities. Often, urban and infrastructure uses are dispersed across the territory, generating situations of urban sprawl. In addition, especially in coastal areas, new urban expansion and new infrastructures are in conflict with other uses, such as for agrological areas, beaches or natural areas. In general, the best agricultural zones on the Mediterranean coast are next to the sea. The more important touristic areas are also next to the sea. Therefore, contradictions between sustainability and development are very intense. All these conditions take place in the metropolitan area of Valencia. Now, regional government wants to develop a metropolitan plan to generate an equilibrium between the different uses and to reserve areas for new urban use and infrastructure. In reality, the area¿s population is now stable but, for economic activities to be competitive, new usage is required as logistic areas or to increase the rail network. A global vision is also needed for urban transport in the metropolitan area. On the other hand, the environmental impacts of current and planned uses can be significant. Moreover, the perception of environmental impacts has changed over time. It is necessary to preserve areas, such as agricultural areas or natural areas, but it is also necessary to produce the quality of landscape perceived by visitors or to generate a green infrastructure network, according to European policy. Finally, we must integrate all these elements with current and new urban and civil infrastructure uses through a public decision-making process. The objective of this paper is to introduce a methodology to integrate the process of public environmental assessment on the works to elaborate a metropolitan plan for a coastal city such as Valencia (Spain) next to the Mediterranean Sea.Miralles García, JL. (2017). STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR METROPOLITAN PLANS OF COASTAL AREAS. THE CASE OF VALENCIA. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning. 12(8):1272-1281. doi:10.2495/SDP-V12-N8-1272-1281S1272128112

Road transport corridors to ecological transition in Spain

[EN] Last December 2020, the European Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) already approved. RRF will be structured around six pillars. Between them, the first pillar is `green transition¿. Green transition includes the goal of balanced CO2 emissions in 2050. Inside this framework, European transport system must to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This objective implies recovery transport system to sustainable modes. One of main ways to make the change is translate passengers and freight transport from road to railways that avoid greenhouse emissions if it uses electric energy with sustainable origins. To planning the change is important to now the mobility of passengers and freight by road. This article analyses the mobilities¿ situation in Spain by road represented such as network of main nodes and trams, passengers and freight, for medium and large distance in 2017.Miralles García, JL. (2021). Road transport corridors to ecological transition in Spain. International Journal of Transport Development and Integration (Online). 5(3):291-301. https://doi.org/10.2495/TDI-V5-N3-291-301S2913015

Revising the basis for planning a new kind of progress: the case of Valencia's city

[EN] The paper analyses the contradictions in the regional planning process for revising the basis and criteria for future intervention and management in metropolitan areas such as Valencia with a new type of progress objective. Valencia, the Mediterranean coastal city, is the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona. In the metropolitan area of Valencia about 1.3 million people live. ¿L¿Horta de València¿ is located in the suburban environment of the Valencian metropolitan area; it has agricultural land with high productivity. These agricultural lands include about 10,000 ha of historical fertile land and another 10,000 ha of fertile land irrigated more recent (about XIXs). In this metropolitan area, there are serious conflicts between different land usages mainly urban sprawl such as expansion of building and infrastructures, replacing fertile agricultural land use. In addition, there is strong competition between different urban uses, e.g. port, beach and tourist zones, high speed rail, industrial estates and new buildings zones. In addition, contradictions between sustainability and development are very intense, especially when the development is only an expectation. In 2000, civil society promoted the legislative initiative, ¿L¿Horta de València¿ Protection Act, while economic development in the period 1997¿2007 was based on speculative urban expansion. The main goal of this initiative is to ensure sustainable development while conserving natural resources needed for future generations. This initiative was refused based on two stated main arguments: i) protection would hinder the economic development and ii) elaborate a protection plan with other approaches. At the end of 2010 works of government about regional planning for ¿Horta de València¿ protection were finished. However, the plan is not approved yet. From the 2007 crisis, speculative urban expansion resulted in the impoverishment of many people; while, large areas of fertile agricultural land have disappeared.Miralles García, JL. (2017). Revising the basis for planning a new kind of progress: the case of Valencia's city. WIT Transactions on the Built Environment (Online). 148:3-14. doi:10.2495/CC150011S31414

The management of Natural Capital. The case of Valencian Country

This paper shows the case of Natural Capital management in Valencian Country. The objective is to analyse the efficiency of this management over the last years, and discuss about how we can improve it. Two kinds of aspects have been analysed: some indicators about the evolution of environmental resources; and the urban plans approved by a process of strategic environmental assessment. These analyses allow to know if Valencian Natural Capital improves or not and if the territorial planning processes have been efficient or not. The results allow a discussion about inefficient environmental management and suggest changes to improve it

Integration of high-speed train stations in cities: the case of Spain and Valencia city

[EN] Specialists have been discussing the best locations for railway stations for a long time; the first railway stations were built in the 21st century, and afterwards cities grew to the point of leaving the stations in central areas. Central stations provide train trips with several advantages over other means of transport. However, high-speed railway (HSR) introduces new variables when considering the best location for new stations. In 2000, the author¿s team started the discussion and assessment of possible locations for the new HSR station in Valencia (Spain) and undertook two studies to analyse this issue. This article provides a theoretical framework for train station location and the analysis of the case in Spain. Furthermore, it synthesizes the results from researches performed in 2002 and 2006 as well as their implementation in Valencia. In addition, this article examines recent experience in relation to new high-speed train station placement, and the case of the 2,400-km-long HSR network in Spain by the end of 2015. Since the HSR network has a different track gauge in relation to the historical railway network, adaptations in the old stations or new locations were required. This situation allowed us to analyse the evolution of HSR in Spain and confirm theories about territorial impacts and optimal rail-network design, particularly in relation to the best location for new HSR stations. This article also looks into the evolution and current trends in modern railway planning, which have progressively changed in Spanish cities such as Madrid and Barcelona.Miralles García, JL. (2017). Integration of high-speed train stations in cities: the case of Spain and Valencia city. International Journal of Transport Development and Integration (Online). 1(4):677-695. doi:10.2495/TDI-V1-N4-677-6946776951

Urban coastal development in Valencian country: a paradigmatic cas of non-sustainable development

[EN] The period between 1997 and 2007 was a period of economic expansion in Europe, and especially in Spain, where it was based on the real estate bubble. Valencian Country, in Mediterranean coast, is a special case inside Spain because its economy specialized in the housing construction sector for non-primary houses. House construction was possible due to the increase in private debt of developers and buyers. The (artificially self-generated) expectation of strong annual increases in housing values maintained an intense construction activity. In 2007, the price of houses peaked and then began a process of impoverishment due to the payment of debts. Today this process is still going on, but extensive data on the complete cycle of expansion and regression of the housing bubble are already available. This paper presents a real description of the complete process of non-sustainable urban development in Valencian Country and analyzes the process in economic, social and environmental terms. Finally, a general scheme of the process and a system of sustainability is proposed.S30131410

GIS analysis of the consequences of short-term urban planning in a mass tourism destination in Spain

[ES] La Manga del Mar Menor in the Region of Murcia every year reaches a population of more than 250,000 people during the summer, with only a few thousand in winter. This crowded environment with an asymmetric behaviour submits annual progressive impoverishment in its economic return. This questionable profitability is the result of a misguided urban development, and its results are analysed through the evolution of the land market and the resulting urbanization in the last 50 years using a GIS methodology.[EN] Urban planning is a lengthy and settled process which results usually emerge after several years or even decades. That is why it is necessary for a proper urban design of cities to use parameters that are able to predict and gauge the potential long-term behaviour of urban development. In the tourist towns of the Mediterranean coast, the long-term design is often at odds with the generation of business profits in the short term. We present here the results of this phenomenon for an interesting case of Spanish Mediterranean coastal city created from scratch in the 60s and turned into a tourist destination today hypertrophied. La Manga del Mar Menor in the Murcia region every year is reaching a population of more than 250,000 people during the summer, which are reduced to a few dozen in winter. This crowded environment with an asymmetric behaviour submits annual progressive impoverishment in its economic return. This questionable profitability is the result of a misguided urban development and the results are analyzed through the evolution of the land market and the resulting urban in the last 50 years with a SIG methodology.Miralles García, JL.; García-Ayllón Veintimilla, S. (2015). GIS analysis of the consequences of short-term urban planning in a mass tourism destination in Spain. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning. 10(4):499-519. https://doi.org/10.2495/SDP-V10-N4-499-519S49951910