Agglomeration benefits and costs of investing in urban transport infrastructure

Theory and evidence suggest that a city owes its existence to an agglomeration benefit. An investment in urban transportation infrastructure may increase this benefit. While some years ago the agglomeration benefit of urban transportation was just a vague idea, recently its size has been estimated and the idea has gained concreteness and respectability. However, the theoretical literature has emphasized the agglomeration benefit that arises through immigration and higher population, while the empirical literature has emphasized the benefit that arises from effective density at constant population. A third strand of the literature has discussed transportation of goods. We bring together these theoretical and empirical literatures, and discuss which agglomeration benefits and costs are relevant for major categories of urban passenger and freight transport investment

Environmental economic impact assessment in China: Problems and prospects

The use of economic valuation methods to assess environmental impacts of projects and policies has grown considerably in recent years. However, environmental valuation appears to have developed independently of regulations and practice of environmental impact assessment (EIA), despite its potential benefits to the EIA process. Environmental valuation may be useful in judging significance of impacts, determining mitigation level, comparing alternatives and generally enabling a more objective analysis of tradeoffs. In China, laws and regulations require the use of environmental valuation in EIA, but current practice lags far behind. This paper assesses the problems and prospects of introducing environmental valuation into the EIA process in China. We conduct four case studies of environmental economic impact assessment (EEIA), three of which are based on environmental impact statements of construction projects (a power plant, a wastewater treatment plant and a road construction project) and one for a regional pollution problem (wastewater irrigation). The paper demonstrates the potential usefulness of environmental valuation but also discusses several challenges to the introduction and wider use of EEIA, many of which are likely to be of relevance far beyond the Chinese context. The paper closes with suggesting some initial core elements of an EEIA guidelineEnvironmental impact assessment; Environmental valuation; China; Economic analysis

The energy intensity target in China's 11th Five-Year Plan period-Local implementation and achievements in Shanxi Province

Facing the mounting pressure on energy security and increasing environmental concerns about air pollution and climate change, the Chinese government set a mandatory goal of 20% reduction of energy intensity in its 11th Five-Year Plan period (FYP, 2006–2010). In this paper we use Shanxi province to illustrate how policies and measures are implemented in practice at a provincial level as a response to the National FYP issued by the central government. Local policies are described and their effects are analyzed. We compare reported energy saving achievements with our own estimates and conclude that the achievements in Shanxi probably have been substantial since the start of the 11th FYP period. The most important measures taken by provincial and local governments seem to be in the secondary sector, such as Top-200/Top-1000 program and phasing out outdated technologies. However, Shanxi has still a long way to go to achieve satisfactory energy use. Further improvement of energy intensity will require continuing efforts. Although many measures are necessary, improving the energy efficiency in heavy industries and reducing the dependence on these industries should be particularly effective

Co-benefits from CO2-emission reduction measures in Shanxi, China: A first assessment

This paper analyses a set of CO2-reducing abatement options related to coal consumption in Shanxi, China. The costs and potential for abatement are investigated for different economic sectors, and the entailed emission reductions are estimated in terms of CO2, SO2, and particles. The present population-weighted exposure level for particles and SO2 is estimated using air quality monitoring data, and a simplified methodology is applied to estimate the reduced population exposure resulting from the abatement measures. By means of exposure-response functions from Chinese and international epidemiology, the health effects from implementing the measures are indicated. An economic evaluation of the reduced health effect is made by employing unit prices of health impacts based on the damage cost approach. Estimates of the present agricultural crop loss attributable to enhanced levels of surface ozone are also given. The impact of emission reductions within Shanxi province is, however, limited due to the regional feature of ozone formation. This first assessment of CO2-reducing abatement options in Shanxi demonstrates that the measures are profitable in a socioeconomic sense. However, the study also demonstrates a certain lack of synergy between the options with respect to their effectiveness in meeting local, regional and global environmental concerns

Kan regional utdanning hjelpe mot sentralisering?

Halvparten av befolkningsveksten de siste 25 årene har skjedd i Oslo og Viken. Det er neppe en politisk ønsket utvikling. For å motvirke utviklingen har flere offentlige ekspertutvalg foreslått å desentralisere høyere utdanning. Vi analyserer to tiltak og drøfter mekanismene de skaper. Tiltakene sammenliknes med en referansebane som ser på regionale virkninger av Perspektivmeldingens forutsetninger. Referansebanen kan ha selvstendig interesse. Den gir ytterligere vekst i Oslo og Viken.Kan regional utdanning hjelpe mot sentralisering?publishedVersio

Kan regional utdanning hjelpe mot sentralisering?

Halvparten av befolkningsveksten de siste 25 årene har skjedd i Oslo og Viken. Det er neppe en politisk ønsket utvikling. For å motvirke utviklingen har flere offentlige ekspertutvalg foreslått å desentralisere høyere utdanning. Vi analyserer to tiltak og drøfter mekanismene de skaper. Tiltakene sammenliknes med en referansebane som ser på regionale virkninger av Perspektivmeldingens forutsetninger. Referansebanen kan ha selvstendig interesse. Den gir ytterligere vekst i Oslo og Viken.Kan regional utdanning hjelpe mot sentralisering?publishedVersio

Environmental economic impact assessment in China: Problems and prospects

The use of economic valuation methods to assess environmental impacts of projects and policies has grown considerably in recent years. However, environmental valuation appears to have developed independently of regulations and practice of environmental impact assessment (EIA), despite its potential benefits to the EIA process. Environmental valuation may be useful in judging significance of impacts, determining mitigation level, comparing alternatives and generally enabling a more objective analysis of tradeoffs. In China, laws and regulations require the use of environmental valuation in EIA, but current practice lags far behind. This paper assesses the problems and prospects of introducing environmental valuation into the EIA process in China. We conduct four case studies of environmental economic impact assessment (EEIA), three of which are based on environmental impact statements of construction projects (a power plant, a wastewater treatment plant and a road construction project) and one for a regional pollution problem (wastewater irrigation). The paper demonstrates the potential usefulness of environmental valuation but also discusses several challenges to the introduction and wider use of EEIA, many of which are likely to be of relevance far beyond the Chinese context. The paper closes with suggesting some initial core elements of an EEIA guidelin

The Role of the Clean Development Mechanism in Achieving China’s Goal of a Resource Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Society

This paper examines the impact of the clean development mechanism (CDM) on China’s progress in building a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly society, referred to as a dual-goal society. It presents China’s CDM activities from the perspective of policy directions, administrative arrangements and capacity building as well as outlines the regional trends and distribution of CDM projects across China’s 30 provinces. Based on regression analysis of 2006–2009 panel data, the research was able to provide estimates at provincial level of the impacts of CDM activities on China’s CO2 emission intensity, SO2 emission intensity and industrial dust emission intensity. The study concludes that the active CDM projects are mainly located in the less-developed central and west China where they have provided increased opportunities for sustainable development. Furthermore, the successful implementation of CDM projects across the country has significantly decreased the emission intensity of CO2, SO2 and industrial dust, which means that these activities have enhanced China’s ability to build the desired dual-goal society