A critical comment on environmental benefit-cost analysis: principles, defenses, and multidisciplinary limitations

XX Encontro Nacional de Economia Política: desenvolvimento Latino-Americano, Integração e Inserção Internacional - UNILA, Foz do Iguaçu, 26 a 29 de maio de 2015Economists have fostered benefi t-cost analysis (BCA) as a preferred technique to evaluate and compare the impacts of alternative public policies. Particularly, its application for analyzing environmental policies and regulations, what we call “environmental BCA”, relies on a set of idiosyncratic techniques for monetizing compliance costs and environmental and health benefi ts. Although economists have heralded environmental BCA as a practical and useful tool to promote “rational” public interventions, it actually faces inherent limitations when used to analyze the desirability of environmental policies. This essay critically reviews both the arguments defending environmental BCA’s application as a technique for ex ante policy evaluation and then explore its inherent multidisciplinary limitations. We found that although environmental BCA’s proponents have used arguments associated with promoting effi ciency, consistent, and evidence- based public policies, environmental BCA is subject to a plethora of multidisciplinary limitations associated not only with its technical soundness, but also with environmental science, ethical concerns and its political infl uenceBanco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES); Usina Hidrelétrica de Itaipu (ITAIPU); Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) e Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA

Insider econometrics: a guide to management scholars

Purpose – This paper aims to present a new trend in management research: the Insider Econometrics approach. Design/methodology/approach – The authors argue that the use of internal organizational data not available in public sources can benefit both researchers interested in advancing theories and practitioners interested to improve the decision-making toward more solid and evidence-based grounds. Findings – The authors demonstrate the subjects involved in Insider Econometrics realm and provide a framework to guide management scholars to successfully engage in research involving strong partnerships between academia and real world organizations. Originality/value – This paper introduces a guide to Insider Econometric research to management scholars

Environmental benefit-cost analysis in the US : risk-based regulation and the role of the National Center for Environmental Economics

Orientador : Prof. Dr. Victor Manoel AlvarezDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciencias Sociais Aplicadas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Políticas Públicas. Defesa : 25/03/2015Inclui referências : fls. 155-177Resumo: O desenvolvimento do marco regulatório ambiental dos EUA começou a ficar em evidência a partir da criação da Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) em 1970, agência responsável por estabelecer regulações de emissão de poluentes e determinar o uso de tecnologias para seu controle. Contudo, a partir de meados da década de 1970, em um ambiente político-econômico marcado pela crise energética e voltado à priorização da produtividade e do desempenho econômico, um ferramental específico tornou-se proeminente no processo de avaliação a respeito de regulações (tanto gerais como ambientais): a análise custo-benefício (ACB). A ACB foi introduzida nos EUA, por meio de uma série de Executive Orders (EO) emitidas pelo poder executivo estadunidense, especialmente a partir do governo Reagan, sob o argumento de proporcionar uma análise regulatória consistente, objetiva, neutra e em sintonia com o desenvolvimento econômico. A ACB foi mantida e reforçada em governos subsequentes, institucionalizando-se como uma peça obrigatória na pré-avaliação do impacto econômico de novas regulações. Enquanto os principais argumentos para a adoção da ACB estão ligados à defesa de sua objetividade teórica e à busca de eficiência, o conhecimento para sua efetiva prática na regulação ambiental é concentrado em um grupo de economistas ligados à área da economia ambiental. Esses especialistas utilizam ferramentas econométricas para simular preços artificiais dos "bens naturais", de modo a precificar e comparar custos e benefícios das regulações e políticas ambientais. O objetivo deste trabalho é realizar uma análise crítica da ACB ambiental, a partir da experiência da sua implantação na EPA. Mais especificamente, o trabalho analisa o modo pelo qual o departamento de economistas especializados em economia ambiental e ACB da EPA (National Center for Environmental Economics - NCEE) influencia o processo decisório da agência. Verifica-se que os praticantes de ACB ambiental formam uma comunidade epistêmica responsável por defender a aplicação política desta prática. Entretanto, outra corrente, composta por representantes do meio acadêmico e por policy-makers com passagem pela EPA, apresenta críticas multidisciplinares. Estes questionam os fundamentos da metodologia adotada, ao assumir pressupostos que envolvem significativo grau de subjetividade. Por fim, observou-se que a NCEE não está inserida formalmente no processo regulatório da EPA. Entrevistas conduzidas na EPA revelaram que a ação da NCEE é restrita por legislações que impedem a aplicação da ACB ambiental em regulações ambientais específicas. Entretanto, ao realizar pesquisas independentes, promover seminários e workshops e desenvolver manuais técnicos, a NCEE busca a sua legitimidade, tanto ao nível interno da agência, quanto ao nível externo, ao conectar-se com especialistas da comunidade acadêmica e de outros órgãos de governo. Palavras-chave: Análise Custo-Benefício, Regulação de Risco, Comunidade Epistêmica; Regulação Ambiental; NCEE.Abstract: The creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970, a federal regulatory agency focused on environmental protection and restoration, was a cornerstone in the development of US environmental policy and a landmark of the the US environmentalist movement. However, in the mid-1970s, as a result of the energy crisis, the US political and economic agenda shifted towards greater concern over productivity and economic performance. In such context, a particular economic tool for evaluating new economic and environmental regulations gained prominence in the US regulatory process: the benefit-cost analysis (BCA). The US executive branch issued a series of Executive Orders and gradually introduced BCA in the regulatory system, reaching its acumen during the Reagan Presidency, on the grounds that BCA would not only provide a consistent, neutral, and objective regulatory analysis, but also be aligned with economic development and recovery. Subsequent Administrations maintained and reinforced BCA's role in the regulatory process, institutionalizing it as a mandatory stage for ex ante regulatory analysis. While the main arguments defending BCA defends its theoretical objectivity and the necessity of efficient policies, its practice to environmental regulations, what we call "environmental BCA", depends on a group of economists specialized in the field of environmental economics. These experts rely on econometric tools to estimate artificial prices of "environmental goods", thus assigning a monetary value to environmental regulation's benefits and making them comparable to regulatory costs. This work aims to critically analyze environmental BCA, particularly based on the US experience and on its implementation at EPA. More specifically, we analyze how the National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE), a particular department within EPA mainly composed of economists experts in environmental economics and BCA, might influence the agency's regulatory process. It was verified that environmental BCA's practitioners share characteristics of an epistemic community, which is responsible for defending such practice in the policy arena. However, an opposing group of academics and policy-makers fosters multidisciplinary criticisms regarding BCA's subjective assumptions and methods. Finally, we observed that NCEE is not formally included in EPA's regulatory process. Interviews conducted at EPA revealed that NCEE's activities are restricted by legislative mandates impeding the application of environmental BCA for particular environmental regulations. However, by fostering independent research, promoting seminars and workshops, and developing technical guidelines, NCEE seeks internal and external legitimacy, connecting itself to experts from the academic community and other governmental agencies. Keywords: Benefit-Cost Analysis, Risk-Based Regulation, Epistemic Community; Environmental Regulation; NCEE

Multitasking while driving: a time use study of commuting knowledge workers to access current and future uses

Commuting has enormous impact on individuals, families, organizations, and society. Advances in vehicle automation may help workers employ the time spent commuting in productive work-tasks or wellbeing activities. To achieve this goal, however, we need to develop a deeper understanding of which work and personal activities are of value for commuting workers. In this paper we present results from an online time-use study of 400 knowledge workers who commute-by-driving. The data allow us to study multitasking-while-driving behavior of com-muting knowledge workers, identify which non-driving tasks knowledge workers currently engage in while driving, and the non-driving tasks individuals would like to engage in when using a safe highly automated vehicle in the future. We discuss the implications of our findings for the design of technology that supports work and wellbeing activities in automated cars

Working harder and longer: how managers use their time when working from home

Managers worked longer hours during the pandemic and changed how they used their time, find Thomaz Teodorovicz, Raffaella Sadun (Harvard Business School), Andrew L. Kun (University of New Hampshire), and Orit Shaer (Wellesley College). They suggest how better technology, including AI, could help them overcome the downsides to working from home

How does working from home during Covid-19 affect what managers do? Evidence from time-use studies

We assess how the sudden and widespread shift to working from home during the pandemic impacted how managers allocate time throughout their working day. We analyze the results from an online time-use survey with data on 1,192 knowledge workers (out of which 973 are managers) in two waves, a pre-pandemic wave collected in August/2019 (615 participants, out of which 506 are managers) and a post-pandemic wave collected in August/2020 (577 participants, out of which 464 are managers). Our findings indicate that the forced transition to WFH created by the COVID pandemic was associated with a drastic reduction in commuting time for managers, but also an increase in time spent in work rather than on personal activities. This included reallocating time gained from commuting into more time spent in meetings, possibly to recoup some of the extemporaneous interactions that typically happen in the office. This change is particularly pronounced for managers employed in larger organizations. We use the results from the time-use studies to discuss implications for the development of new technologies

Os mercados relevantes do ramo de agrotóxicos

A implantação da legislação de defesa da concorrência implica na verificação do menor espaço no qual o poder de mercado pode ser exercido, o chamado “mercado relevante”. O ramo de agrotóxicos é marcado por elevado dinamismo tecnológico e pela substituição imperfeita dos produtos, resultando em desafio metodológico a delimitação das fronteiras competitivas. A necessidade legal de obtenção de um registro sugere possíveis parâmetros de referência ao limitar a atuação do agrotóxico a combinações de alvos e culturas. O objetivo deste trabalho é demonstrar tais parâmetros e suas implicações para o ramo de agrotóxicos. Para tal, uma análise do mercado de herbicidas para a soja foi realizada. Verificou-se que além das empresas adotarem estratégias de escopo e priorizarem segmentos economicamente mais significativos, há transitoriedade de poder de mercado devido às baixas barreiras à mobilidade.Palavras-chave:mercado relevante; regulação; mercado de agrotóxicosTÍTULO EM INGLÊSRelevant markets in the pesticides industryAbstractThe implementation of the antitrust legislation implies the delimitation of the smallest space in which any market power can be exercised, the so-called “relevant market”. The pesticides market is characterized by high technological dynamism and imperfect substitution of products, which poses a methodological challenge to the delimitation of competitive frontiers. The legal necessity of obtaining a registration number suggests possible reference parameters by limiting the pesticides scope to combinations of targets and crops. This study aims to demonstrate such parameters and their implications for the pesticides industry. For such, we carried out an analysis of the soybean herbicides market. The main findings are that besides the fact that companies adopt scope strategies and prioritize more economically significant markets, the market power is transitory due to low barriers to mobility.Keywords: relevant market; regulation; pesticides market Classificação JEL: K21, L49, O39Artigo recebido em nov. 2013 e aceito para publicação em jul. 2015

UNIDADES PARANÁ SEGURO E SEGURANÇA PÚBLICA NO MUNICÍPIO DE CURITIBA: uma avaliação quantitativa local da implementação das unidades

O governo estadual do Paraná começou, em 2012, a implantação de um novo modelo de policiamento, pautado no conceitode “policiamento comunitário”, voltado à redução de homicídios e combate a crimes relativos às drogas: as “Unidades Paraná Seguro”. O objetivo do trabalho é mensurar o impacto dessas unidades na criminalidade em Curitiba. A base de dados analisada continha informações trimestrais de ocorrências criminais para o período entre janeiro de 2011 e setembro de 2013. Essas informações foram agrupadas em três categorias: crimes contra pessoas; relativos a drogas; e contra o patrimônio. Para tanto, aplica a metodologia estatística de diferenças-em-diferenças em uma base de dados em painel para estimar o efeito tratamento médio, tanto nos bairros inseridos, como vizinhos às zonas de influência das unidades. Os resultados indicam que, embora o impacto sobre os crimes relativosàs drogas não tenha sido significativo, houve redução nos homicídios e significativo decréscimo dos crimes contra o patrimônio.Palavras-chave: Segurança pública, polícia comunitária, Unidades Paraná Seguro, avaliação de impacto, política pública.UNITS PARANÁ INSURANCE AND PUBLIC SAFETY IN THE CITY OF CURITIBA: a quantitative local evaluation of units’ implementationAbstract: In 2012 Paraná’s state government has begun the implementation of a new policing model: the “Unidade Paraná Seguro”(UPS). Based on the “community policy” concept, UPS’ main goal is to reduce both the rate of homicides and drug-related crimes.This paper aims to measure the results of such policy regarding its potential impact over Curitiba’s criminality rates. Quarterly crimerecords at a district-level from January/2011 until September/2013 were allocated in three different study-groups: crime againstindividuals; drug-related crimes; and property crimes. Differences-in-differences statistical methodology was applied to estimate the mean treatment effect on districts with an UPS and on its border districts. The results indicate that, although the impact over drug-related crimes was not statistically significant, there was reduction in homicides and significant reduction in property crimes.Key words: Public security, community police, Units Paraná Insurance, impact evaluation, public polic