Price Competition and Product Differentiation When Consumers Care for the Environment

Increasing environmental awareness may affect the pleasure of consuming a good for which an environment friendly substitute is available. In this paper, we investigate the market implication of product differentiation when customers are concerned about environmental aspects of the good. We use the spatial duopoly model to determine how environmental concern affects prices, product characteristics and market shares of the competing firms. Our analysis is based on a two-stage game, where at the first stage each firm chooses the characteristic of its product. At the second stage, each firm chooses its price. Equilibrium prices and market shares are affected by consumer awareness of the environment and by the higher costs for producing those goods. As for the Nash equilibria in the characteristics, we find three equilibria depending on the parameter constellation. In order to find out whether the market functions in an optimal way, we determine the choice of environmental characteristics by a welfare maximizing authority. The objective of the paper is to understand the environmental quality choices facing firms and to provide policies that would align private choices with the social optimum.JEL classifications: L11, Q38, H23     

A Note on Environmental Awareness and Cross-Border Pollution

Considering a Nash equilibrium in which a developed country chooses the amount of foreign aid and a developing country sets the emission tax rate and the proportion of the received aid allocated to public abatement of pollution, it is shown that an increase in the recipient countrys environmental awareness will reduce the level of cross-border pollution and benefits the donor though its foreign aid is increased.     

环境审计、环境信息披露与企业环境绩效

环境审计作为国家环境管理的重要手段,在关注环境治理与生态环境效益时也必定会对企业环境绩效产生一定影响。论文基于我国沪市A股工业企业2014—2017年的面板数据,实证检验了环境审计、环境信息披露与企业环境绩效之间的关系。结果表明:(1)环境审计与企业环境绩效显著正相关,且在不同的产权性质和法制环境下表现出一定的差异。(2)环境信息披露在环境审计对企业环境绩效的影响中呈正向调节作用。研究成果验证了环境审计对企业环境绩效的促进作用,一方面拓展了工业企业环境绩效的影响因素研究,另一方面为促进生态文明建设和企业绿色发展提供了重要的启示。     

Pareto-improving Untied Aid with Environmental Externalities

This paper shows that even untied aid is Pareto-improving if and only if the marginal propensity to consume the polluting good in the donor country is sufficiently larger than in the recipient country.     

我国现行环境政策调整与出口产品“环境竞争力”的提升

加入WTO后,我国要在该组织框架下接受贸易自由化与环境保护两股潮流的双重挑战,应对发达国家层出不穷的绿色贸易壁垒。如何合理调整国内现行的一些与WTO规则相矛盾的环境政策,提升出口产品的环境竞争力,促进我国经济与社会的可持续发展,将是我国加入WTO后急需解决的新问题。本文在对环境竞争力概念进行分析的基础上,界定了影响环境竞争力的主要因素。从国际、国内两个方面论述了当前我国环境政策所面临的挑战,及其调整方向。进而,提出今后提高我国出口产品环境竞争力的对策建议。     

Environmental information disclosure in capital raising

In 2010, the Chinese Government issued a policy to require enterprises to disclose environmental information. Using the environmental disclosure information of 204 Chinese listed companies in 20 polluting sectors over the period of 2011–2015, we find that managers tend to withhold environmental information and selectively disguise sensitive environmental information in the face of financial pressure, and where the disclosure of sensitive environmental information would significantly increase the cost of debt financing. Furthermore, agency conflicts and information asymmetry between managers and outside investors promote the managers' tendencies to withhold environmental information when facing financial pressure.     

“限塑令”前后北京大兴城区居民环保意识变化分析

通过问卷调查方式对北京市大兴城区居民在限塑令实施前后环保意识变化进行调查研究,并运用Excel软件进行数据统计分析,了解限塑令的实施对北京市大兴城区居民的影响和意义,并提出相关建议以促使限塑令实施更加有效。     

农户对农业环境污染影响因素的认识程度实证分析

随着农村经济快速发展,农村环境污染也越来越严重,已经严重影响人民的身体健康.文章在分析国内外学者对农村环境污染问题研究的基础上,通过入户调查座谈,并运用Logistic模型实证检验了农户对农村环境污染影响因素的认知程度.农户环保意识不强,乡镇企业污染严重并是造成农村环境污染的最重要因素,农业生产污染是重要的原因之一.在此基础上提出了提高农民的环保意识、调整乡镇企业产业结构、增加农村环境保护的经费投入等政策建议.     

治理环境污染的经济制度安排

环境问题的外部性和环境资源的公共财产属性,决定了解决环境污染问题不能单纯依靠市场机制,需要政府的必要调控和干预,政府干预包括有关法规的制定和经济制度的安排。经济制度具有不可替代的效率作用,且应针对不同的情况安排与市场机制相沟通的不同制度形式,如“排污收费”,“治污收费”,“开征环境税”和“排污权交易”等,将环境保护由过去的政府行为转变为一种由政府调控与经济利益机制驱动相结合的市场行为和企业行为。     

环境责任视角下非正式环境规制对企业绿色技术创新的影响——一个有中介的调节模型

环境问题是影响我国生态经济健康发展的关键,而积极释放环境履责信号来推动绿色技术创新发展则是企业应对经济高质量发展的必然途径,特别是在互联网传媒带来的网络舆论效应凸现的当下,媒介公众的外部舆论压力已成为企业开展绿色创新活动的新驱动力.基于此,本文尝试从环境责任视角,探究公众、媒介外部舆论压力对企业绿色技术创新能力的内在作用机制,引入环保投资作为调节变量,构建相应理论模型,并以2012—2018年重污染上市公司数据为样本,运用固定效应模型开展了实证研究.结果表明:公众关注对企业绿色技术创新具有显著正向影响;媒介关注与企业绿色技术创新间存在"倒U型"关系;公众关注与媒介关注间存在显著的交互作用,且在提高企业绿色技术创新方面存在替代效应;环境责任在媒介关注与企业绿色技术创新的非线性关系中具有完全中介作用;环保投资强化了媒介关注与企业绿色技术创新间的非线性关系,但削弱了公众关注对企业绿色技术创新的影响.     

Asymmetric Regulation of Identical Polluters in Oligopoly Models

Studies of optimal second-best environmental regulation of identical polluting agents have invariably ignored potentially welfare-improving asymmetric regulation by imposing equal regulatory treatment of identical firms at the outset. Yet, cost asymmetry between oligopoly firms may well give rise to private as well as social gains. A trade-off is demonstrated for the regulator, between private costs savings and additional social costs when asymmetric treatment is allowed. Asymmetry is indeed optimal for a range of plausible parameter values. Further, it is demonstrated that for a broad class of abatement cost functions, there is scope for increasing welfare while keeping both total output and total emission constant. Some motivating policy issues are discussed in light of the results, including international harmonization and global carbon dioxide reduction.     

Optimizing Environmental Product Life Cycles

In this paper, we propose a methodology, based on materials accounting and operational research techniques, to assess different industry configurations according to their life cycle environmental impacts. Rather than evaluating a specific technology, our methodology searches for the feasible configuration with the minimum impact. This approach allows us to address some basic policy-relevant questions regarding technology choice, investment priorities, industrial structures, and international trade patterns. We demonstrate the methodology in the context of the European pulp and paper industry. We are able to show that current environmental policy's focus on maximizing recycling is optimal now, but that modest improvements in primary pulping technology may shift the optimal industry configuration away from recycling toward more primary pulping with incineration. We show that this will have significant implications for the amount and type of environmental damage, for the location of different stages in the production chain, and for trade between European member states. We caution policy makers that their single-minded focus on recycling may foreclose investment in technologies that could prove environmentally superior. Finally, we hint that member state governments may be fashioning their environmental policy positions at least in part on some of the trade and industrial implications we find.     

不同类型环境规制下中国工业绿色转型问题研究

资源环境约束下,通过环境规制设计来激励绿色技术创新及推动工业绿色转型具有重要意义。但现有研究忽视了不同类型环境规制及不同地区不同类型环境规制的差异性,因而难以提出有针对性和差异化的规制政策,进而难以有效促进工业绿色转型。文章在区分不同类型及不同地区不同类型环境规制的基础上,运用动态面板模型检验了环境规制对工业绿色转型的非线性影响效应。研究结果表明：不同类型环境规制对工业绿色转型的影响存在异质性,命令控制型环境规制的非线性影响效应并不存在,但经济激励型环境规制与自愿意识型环境规制的增强,可明显提高绿色技术创新水平及促进工业绿色转型。东部地区命令控制型环境规制并未对绿色技术创新及工业绿色转型形成有效激励,但经济激励型环境规制与自愿意识型环境规制的正向促进效应明显。中西部地区命令控制型环境规制有着负向影响效应,经济激励型环境规制和自愿意识型环境规制对绿色技术创新和工业绿色转型的激励效应不明显。文章对于不同类型环境规制的衡量有利于未来进一步扩展和细分环境规制的类型,以深入探讨不同类型环境规制的协同效应;研究结论对科学设定环境规制强度和合理选择环境规制形式以激励绿色技术创新及推动工业绿色转型具有启示意义。     

Product Market Integration and Environmental Policy Coordination in An International Duopoly

We analyse the effect of product market integration on environmental policy incentives in an international duopoly, where national policy makers act strategically. If traditional trade policy instruments are not available, environmental policies will typically be determined by the interaction of conflicting policy incentives. Contrary to popular belief, we find that international product market integration, in this particular setting, might reduce the need for transnational policy coordination, both from a purely environmental and from a social welfare perspective.     

工业经济发展 、环境规制强度与污染减排效果 ——基于"先污染 ,后治理"发展模式的理论分析与实证检验

文章构建了"先污染 ,后治理"发展模式的理论模型 ,并以2001 -2013年中国30个省区工业产出数据为样本 ,研究了工业经济发展、环境规制强度和污染物减排效果之间的关系.研究发现,工业污染物排放对于产出增长具有刺激作用 ,同时产出增长又会引起环境规制强度的增加 ,从而证明了中国工业存在"先污染,后治理"的发展模式.但由于环境规制投资依然不足,规制效率相对偏低 ,治理的整体效果仍不尽如人意.分阶段看 ,"先污染 ,后治理"发展模式在过去十余年没有发生本质变化 ,但2008年后环境规制的污染减排效果已经开始显现.分地区看 ,中国几乎所有地区都处于"先污染 ,后治理"的过程中 ,而环境规制的效果仅在东部地区较为显著.     

基于环境管理的企业绿色营销对策

环境管理与绿色营销是企业的新经营理念，其主要针对两个方面：一是防止生产经营过程中对环境的污染；二是在经营活动中保护生产经营资源。企业环境管理与绿色营销的基本对策是建立环境管理监控体系，采取开发绿色产品、提供绿色服务、争取绿色标志等环境管理和绿色营销措施。     

环境规制差异、创新驱动与中国经济绿色增长

运用2008—2015年中国30个省(自治区、直辖市)的面板数据,基于Malmquist-Luenberger指数模型测算了考虑能源消耗和非期望产出的中国省域绿色全要素生产率,利用所构建的创新驱动能力评价指标体系测度我国各省区的创新驱动能力。将环境规制划分为行政型、市场型和公众参与型三类,运用面板数据模型考察了不同类型的环境规制、创新驱动及两者的交互项对绿色全要素生产率的影响。结果表明:不同类型的环境规制对中国经济绿色增长的影响具有区域差异;创新驱动对中国区域经济绿色增长有显著的促进作用;在促进中国经济绿色增长方面,环境规制与创新驱动不仅发挥了各自的积极作用,而且两者还显示出一定的协同效应。     

排污权的初次配置方式及其价格问题研究

当前多数国家采用的免费分配、公开拍卖等排污权初次配置方式存在着诸多不足，文章论述了标价限量配售应当是排污权初次配置基本模式的观点，并在此基础上分析了确定排污权初次配售价格时应综合考虑的决定性经济因素、政策体制因素和一些非经济因素。     

Multi-Dimensional Product Differentiation

We analyze product differentiation in a multi-dimensional model with non-uniform consumer distribution. The level of product differentiation is measured by both unit transport costs and firms’ locations. Our analysis concerns both measures. First, fixing firms’ locations, we show that equilibrium prices can increase or decrease with unit transport costs. The overall result depends on the interplay of a shifting effect and a rotating effect—the latter exists only in multi-dimensional models. Second, fixing unit transport costs, we find that under non-uniform distribution, there may exist no equilibrium where firms maximize differentiation on one dimension but minimize differentiation on other dimensions. Instead, there may exist an equilibrium where firms choose intermediate locations, contrary to common findings in existing studies which assume uniform distribution.     

城市生态环境影响评价与绿色经济

本文通过分析研究城市生态环境问题产生的原因、后果及当前解决该问题的必要性和紧迫性，就目前中国城市生态环境研究尚存在的问题，提出城市生态环境影响评价对于实现城市生态环境的可持续发展有着深远的战略意义，并对如何实现城市生态环境的可持续发展指出了一条有效且关键之路——坚定不移发展绿色经济。