Export Processing Zones and Environmental Policy

In this paper, we consider the impact of establishing export processing zones on environmental policy. The model assumes that aggregate pollution is regulated by a quota so as to maximize domestic welfare, and the pollution target is implemented with a marketable permit system. We show that the emission quota may be strengthened with the formation of the zone even if firms located in the export processing zone have cleaner technology than those in the domestic zone.

Export Processing Zones and Environmental Policy

This paper investigates the relation between an export processing zone and a pollution quota in a small country. The model suppose that the pollution target is implemented with a marketable permit system, and the government sets the quota to maximize domestic welfare. Then we show that, if an increase in real income reduces marginal external damage, the pollution quota is relieved by the formation of an export processing zone. However, if the marginal damage is augmented with an increase in the income, the optimal quota might be strengthened by the formation of the zone.export processing zone, international trade, environmental policy, pollution

Economic Growth and CO2 Emissions with Endogenous Emission Regulations: A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis

It is widely known that emissions of greenhouse gases from anthropogenic activities have been dramatically increasing at the unprecedented rate over the past several decades, and causing the global climate change. To assess the future trends of such global climate change, it is necessary to project future greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, we explore the effects of further economic growth on CO2 emissions with the use of a multi-sector, multi-region global CGE model, and with explicit consideration to the endogeneity of emission regulations, i.e. the dependence of regulations on the level of income. The relationship between income level and emission regulations are derived from the consequence of the Kyoto Protocol type emission regulations. Our main finding is summarized as follows. Carbon taxes rise in all regions with economic growth because all regions, especially LDC regions, enjoy the rise in per capita income. However, the responsiveness of carbon taxes to income change is too weak to restrain the increase in emissions. In other words, given the degree of the responsiveness of regulations inferred from the acceptance of the Kyoto Protocol type regulations, carbon emissions are likely to increase all over the world along with further economic growth.The environmental Kuznets curve, CO2 emissions, carbon tax, endogenousregulation, economic growth

Transfer of Pollution Abatement Technology and Unemployment

This paper investigates the effects of the transfer of pollution abatement technology on the level of urban unemployment, the total amount of pollution, and social welfare in a small, open Harris Todaro economy. We show that these transfers reduce urban unemployment and decrease the total amount of pollution. However, social welfare is unchanged because the technology transfer does not affect factor prices.

Ecological dumping under foreign investment quotas

In this paper, we examine the discrimination of emission taxes between the export and nontradable sectors in a small country. A few articles indicate that there should be no differentiation of environmental policies between sectors in a small country if the government uses indirect instruments as emission taxes. However, we show that the discrimination of emission taxes may occur in a small country that imposes foreign investment quotas. In particular, the possibility that ecological dumping occurs is higher if export goods are more labor intensive than import goods, as in developing countries. Moreover, in the case where imported goods are most capital intensive, both emission tax rates may be lower than marginal environmental damage, and ecological dumping may occur. It is also shown that easing foreign capital quotas may deteriorate the small countryfs welfare.ecological dumping, emission tax, nontraded goods, international trade, capital movement

Singlet-triplet Crossover in the Two-dimensional Dimer Spin System YbAl3C3

Low-temperature magnetization (M) measurements down to 0.1 K have been performed in magnetic fields up to 14.5 T for a single piece of a tiny single-crystalline sample (0.2 mg weight) of the spin-gap system YbAl3C3. At the base temperature of 0.1 K, several metamagnetic transitions were clearly observed for H // c in the range 6 T < H < 9 T whereas only two transitions were observed, one at 4.8 T and the other at 6.6 T, for H // a. At fields above 9 T, the magnetization becomes almost saturated for both H // a and H // c. The present results indicate that a singlet-triplet crossover occurs in a relatively narrow field range, suggesting a rather weak interdimer interaction in spite of the nearly triangular lattice of Yb ions.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, proceedings of ICM 201