Managing the energy trilemma of reliability,affordability and renewables: Assessing consumer demands with discrete choice experiments

In response to the looming climate crisis, many countries are adopting technologies to reduce the accumulation of greenhouse gases. However, national energy policies are often multiobjective and resolution deeply divisive. The result is a policy trilemma between the energy mix and the trade-offs with other policy objectives, including cost and reliability. Utilising a discrete choice experiment (DCE), the objective of this study is to explore Australian household preferences for alternative electricity contracts containing features reflecting changes in future energy policy. The first set of features include investments in renewable generation and community-based energy storage. The second set of features reflect demand-side management policies, including installing smart meters and consumption limits being imposed on households during peak demand. Two versions of the DCE were developed to obtain both willingness to pay and willingness to accept estimates for the same features. In line with the literature, differences in the two sets of estimates were observed, with the willingness to accept estimates being statistically larger for some features. These dollar value measures can be used to support public policy decision-making – the choice of which depending on the context of the policy problem being considered.     

An assessment of policies affecting Sustainable Soil Management in Europe and selected member states

This paper analyses soils-related policies in Europe and in selected member states and regions. Our approach breaks down policy packages at European, national and regional levels into strategic objectives, operational objectives, policy measures and expected impacts, and assesses the relationships between these elements and soil stakes. Four major policy packages, both at EU and national level (CAP-I, RDP, Environment, national initiatives) were analysed. A numerical scale was developed to quantify the level of “embeddedness” of soil stakes in these policy packages. We found that countries better embed soil stakes into their policies when they also put more efforts on environmental innovation. In turn, countries with a high embeddedness level, with high trust in European institutions and that make more efforts towards renewable energy, tend to propose a wider variety of management practices to farmers for dealing with soil stakes.     

国有林区改革对生物质能源发展的影响

在理论层面,国有林区改革引发新能源政策指导思想从以经济效益为主到生态效益与经济效益并重的跨越式发展,加速生物质能源政策的制定与推行;在实践层面,国有林区改革实施的指导意见促进生物质能源政策的具体化与细致化,为生物质能源在财税补贴、能源林种植奖励、生物发电及技术研发等方面的政策制定提供了参考建议,带动了生物质能源相关产业的发展,为改善民生和保护生态提供了强大的助力。     

Economic policy for rural and regional Australia

The efficiency and equity effects of economic policies affecting the quarter of Australians who live in rural and regional Australia (RARA) are reviewed. For the most part it is argued that economy-wide policies, rather than region or industry specific policies, are appropriate. Progressive income taxation, means-tested social security payments and government funded education, health and other services directly and efficiently redistribute to support equity. Subsidies for particular industries in RARA, such as dairy, and input subsidies targeted at RARA, such as community service obligations, misallocate resources and are ineffective in meeting equity goals. Better property rights and procedures for allocating most natural resources, especially water, are necessary.     

Land allocation to meet sectoral goals in Indonesia—An analysis of policy coherence

Land is a scarce resource affecting the implementation of many sectoral policies. In Indonesia, the expansion of palm oil plantations has led to non-sustainable land use practices in past years, particularly deforestation. More recently, the government has set ambitious targets for the adoption of biodiesel which will require expansion of oil palm plantations, thus putting further pressure on land. Meanwhile, the need to guarantee food supply, forest conservation and climate change mitigation also imply challenges when it comes to land allocation and use. This paper examines the role that land plays in the implementation of sectoral policies in Indonesia, exploring the availability of land to satisfy the multiple goals defined in national policies. We explore land competition resulting from allocations made in official policy documents starting with biofuel policy. The analysis of policy goals and coherence when it comes to land allocation is made in relation to agriculture, climate and forestry policies. We conclude that adjustments need to be made in the policies to avoid overlappings and misinterpretations when it comes to land allocation. The area made available for meeting each sectoral policy goal when taking into account cross sectoral interactions is: 14.2 Mha for agriculture, 43 Mha for climate mitigation measures, 9.2 Mha for forestry, and 20.9 Mha for biofuels. A more uniform land classification and development of a common reference database will increase transparency on land allocation and use, and help to monitor land use change, ultimately supporting the achievement of multiple national goals.     

Land reuse in support of renewable energy development

Renewable Portfolio Standards are U.S. state-level policies that encourage renewable energy development to meet a proportion of electricity demand. These policies, along with state and federal incentives and private sector demand, have motivated interest in renewable energy capacity, which is a function of available land. As global climate change has been driven by the combination of fossil fuel combustion and land cover change, renewable energy development is best achieved through sustainable land use practices. One option is to site renewable energy installations on land that has been contaminated or degraded. This analysis looks at the degree to which renewable energy demand created by state renewable portfolio standards in the United States could be met by contaminated or formerly contaminated sites. Results suggest that land resources are more than sufficient to meet current and possibly future RPS-generated demand in three out of four regions.     

基于熵权TOPSIS模型的中国粮食安全评价研究

[目的]粮食安全事关经济健康发展、社会和谐稳定,是防范和化解系统性风险,维护国家安全的重要保障。对粮食安全发展水平进行评价研究是准确把握我国粮食安全发展现状、合理制定国家粮食安全相关政策措施的手段。[方法]随着我国进入新发展阶段,国家粮食安全被赋予新的时代内涵和新的发展目标。文章以我国粮食安全在新发展阶段所呈现出来的内涵和目标为导向,从供给能力、供给结构、绿色发展、经济效益以及基础支撑五个方面出发,构建了包括25个具体评价指标的粮食安全评价体系,并建立熵权TOPSIS模型对我国粮食安全发展水平的演变和现状进行评价研究。[结果]进入21世纪,我国粮食安全水平呈现出先下降后上升的发展态势,且对绿色发展、经济效益和基础支撑的重视程度逐年提升;提升我国粮食安全水平受到资源状况、科技水平、供给结构等因素的制约。[结论]保障和提升我国粮食安全水平,需要重点从耕地资源保护和利用、粮食科技支撑、国内外市场与资源整合等方面发力。     

THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY: THE IMPLICATIONS FOR ITALIAN AGRICULTURE

The relative importance of Italian agriculture in the EC, both in terms of net value added and of employment, has never been matched by a comparable impact on the CAP policymaking process. Mediterranean agricultural products in particular have been less favoured by the overwhelming common policy instrument of product price support, which has also a negative impact on the economy as a whole. The most relevant effects of the CAP are reviewed: the impact on resource allocation, including international income transfers, and the effects on the environment, as well as the effects on interpersonal income distribution. An evaluation of CAP is then made from different points of view: the likely perspective of present Italian farmers, a national perspective and an overall perspective, including the interests of non EC countries and future generations. Lower and more balanced price support, together with higher concern for structural and environmental policies especially in less favoured areas, are advocated.     

国家级节水政策的量化评价及优化路径探析

基于PMC指数模型和文本挖掘技术构建节水政策评价体系,对我国6项典型国家级节水政策进行量化评价。结果表明,现行的国家级节水政策整体设计优秀,有一项政策评级达到完美,3项政策评级为优秀,2项政策评级为良好。我国节水政策在政策功能、持续效力、作用层面和市场机制4个方面仍存在可改进之处。在此基础上对节水政策提出充分发挥政策功能、推动权责向基层下沉、加快完善市场机制、有机结合长中短期规划4项优化建议。     

长三角水环境政策效力及耦合协调关系演化

筛选长三角三省一市2005—2020年期间的水环境政策文本,从政策力度、目标和措施3个维度建立政策效力量化框架,并运用耦合协调模型分析水环境政策在空间和工具维度上的耦合协调演化特征。研究结果表明:三省一市水环境政策效力均逐年提高,政策工具使用结构以权威型为主导但单位效力有待提高,而系统变革和象征劝诫型工具使用最少但单位效力较高;省市间水环境政策协调关系经历了失调发展、转向协调和协调发展3个阶段,其中安徽省与苏浙沪间的协调发展明显滞后,国家层面的规划政策显著促进了长三角地区水环境政策协调关系的良性转变;政策工具间的耦合协调关系从失调发展阶段到转向协调阶段,各省市政策工具间的协调关系呈现差异性,整体而言尚有较大提升空间。     

我国林业生物质能源发展相关政策概述

介绍了我国林业生物质能源发展的背景、现状和相关的政策,以及林业生物质能源相关的法律、能源林建设规划、相关的产业规划和财税扶持政策。提出今后我国林业生物质能源发展相关建议。     

Biofuels and ecoagriculture: can bioenergy production enhance landscape-scale ecosystem conservation and rural livelihoods?

Global development of the biofuel sector is proceeding rapidly, driven by national policy mandates, government subsidies, and profit opportunities for farmers, agribusiness and energy companies. To date, most investment in—and dialogue on—biofuels has focused on large-scale production of liquid transport fuels. A smaller set of efforts has explored the potential of biofuels to promote rural development by reducing energy poverty among the world's two billion poorest people. Here, we consider the potential of these diverse approaches to promote the goals of ecoagriculture: namely, sustainable agricultural production (including biofuel feedstocks), conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services and viable rural livelihoods. Using a landscape planning framework, we review empirical evidence and identify criteria for designing biofuel production systems that promote this trio of goals. Biofuel development has the greatest potential when biomass production is an ‘interstitial’ activity and when processing and use occurs at the local level. Larger scale production for regional or global liquid fuel markets may be beneficial under some circumstances, but a stronger policy framework is needed to guide this approach. To advance biofuels for sustainable development, while avoiding serious risks, investment must shift to include a variety of ecoagriculture-compatible pathways. Supportive public policies and market incentives must be developed before the biofuel sector develops strong path-dependence toward unsustainable outcomes.     

The microeconomics of the developmental paradox: on the political economy of food price policy

A longstanding puzzle in comparative economics is the ‘developmental paradox’, the tendency for government support for agriculture to increase with national income and to decrease with the proportion of economic activity and of the population in agriculture. This paper offers a microeconomic explanation for that puzzle. It establishes analytically the microeconomic basis for coalition alignments with respect to food price policy, then numerically simulates the comparative static effects of alternative food policies on coalition structure. A parsimonious household model applied to a heterogeneously endowed society demonstrates how variation in individual welfare effects might beget distinct coalitions in the debate over food price policy and how those policies are inextricably linked to land, population, and technology policies in food agriculture. Moreover, coalition alignments on particular policy debates are path-dependent. In particular, food price policy creates its own political support.     

草地农业适度规模经营研究进展

目的 在国家相关产业政策的支持下,近年来我国草地农业取得了较大发展。为进一步推动草地农业适度规模经营及我国草牧业的可持续发展,文章通过对农业适度规模经营研究的进展系统梳理分析了我国草地农业适度规模经营的发展趋势。方法 采用对比分析法和总结归纳法,对国内外有关农业适度规模经营的理论研究、测度和评价方法研究、典型案例研究进行综述。结果 针对农业适度规模经营的研究较多关注经营面积以及效率的测度,但从实证层面对不同种植类型和主体经营效果进行评价的研究相对较少;草地农业在经营目标、生产管理方式、经济效益实现途径等方面与农业存在显著的差别。但在政策扶持力度、技术与设备的创新化应用、经营主体的培养方面具有一定的共性。结论 对草地农业的适度规模经营研究应重点从以下方面展开：（1）以生态系统服务价值、Odum能值理论和可持续发展理论等为基础,构建草地农业适度规模经营的理论体系。（2）探索草地农业适度规模经营分类原则与标准,制定生态、经济和社会效益耦合协调发展的适度规模经营评价指标体系和方法。（3）建立草地农业与传统农业的耦合协调发展机制。     

THE ECONOMICS OF - WHEAT PRODUCTION IN MOROCCO

A representative farm policy impact model was developed using linear programming and primary survey data. The model was used to estimate farm-level effects of proposed national government policies aimed at increasing food security through greater bread wheat production. The four policy options analysed included the introduction of a bread wheat variety resistant to an insect pest, an increase in the official bread wheat support price, potentially unlimited availability of nitrogen fertiliser, and rationing of nitrogen fertiliser at 500 kg per farm. The various policies increased farm income between 2.45 and 18 percent, as farmers made trade-offs between the production of bread wheat and the more profitable durum wheat. Adjustments were made by farmers in the model to meet government-targeted levels of bread wheat production in order to support national food self-sufficiency at minimum cost. Simultaneously, the resources freed were used to produce more durum wheat. The results suggest a need to analyse interregional and international comparative advantages in wheat production prior to implementing proposed policies aimed at increasing bread wheat output.     

基于PMC指数模型的水库移民政策量化评价和优化路径研究

采用PMC指数模型对我国2001—2018年水库移民政策进行量化评价,通过构建水库移民政策评价指标体系,计算PMC指数并绘制图像,以分析各项政策的优势和劣势。研究结果表明:多领域政策结合、政府领导下的社会多方参与和多种扶持措施相互配合成为我国缓解、解决水库移民问题,实现库区与社会总体稳定的政策主要制定方向;各水库移民政策仍有较大的改善优化空间,根据具体政策评分提出相应的优化建议;最后根据水库移民政策评价整体情况,从政策性质、参与对象和关注阶段3个方面为我国水库移民政策的制定、实施和优化调整提供参考建议。     

节水财税金融政策模式创新研究

我国节水管理的财税金融支持政策较为薄弱。节能与节水同样具有显著公益性和外部性,其财税金融政策经验可供节水领域借鉴。从政策手段、支持目标和实施效果等政策要素角度,对比分析我国节水与节能财税金融支持政策存在的差距。在政策手段上,支持节水的财政、税收、贷款、基金、债券等政策工具尚未得到系统应用,上市融资、保险、证券等金融手段还处于探索阶段。在政策目标上,对节水灌溉设施运行维护、节水技术与产品研发及推广、节水示范等支持较弱。在政策效果上,节水行业发展规模和效率水平都明显落后于节能行业。基于政策要素对比,将所需完善的政策手段和支持目标进行组合,得到需要创新实施的10项节水财税金融政策模式。     

Decarbonisation and wholesale electricity market design

In recent decades, many power systems have introduced electricity generator competition. Market designs have varied with some countries adopting ‘energy‐only’ markets and others utilising capacity remuneration mechanisms. With increasing deployment of cost competitive renewable energy and the introduction of policy measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, concerns are emerging about the sustainability of these market designs. In Australia, wholesale electricity prices have increased markedly – the result of a ‘disorderly’ transition away from coal to new renewable energy. This paper critically examines the ‘energy‐only’ market in a high‐penetration renewables system, with a particular focus on the vertically and horizontally restructured National Electricity Market (NEM). We propose that the ‘energy‐only’ market can indeed work within a decarbonised energy system. But as renewables increasingly replace coal‐fired power stations, ‘unintended consequences’ will need to be addressed to facilitate an ‘orderly’ transition. It will be important that policy ensures appropriate new investment in firm capacity is forthcoming; and pricing outcomes are acceptable given political economy constraints.     

生物质能源发展的政策激励体系构建研究

生物质能源作为一种可再生能源,开发利用前景广泛。目前我国生物质能源的发展面临着诸多障碍,需要强有力的政策支持。首先论述了我国生物质能源发展的现状,阐明了其发展的主要制约因素。然后对生物质能源进行外部性分析,得出政策激励和激励体系构建对生物质能源发展的必要性的结论。最后,提出了构建我国生物质能源发展的激励体系的对策和建议。     

Multifunctional agriculture, policy measures and the WTO: the Norwegian case

One of the questions debated in the ongoing WTO agricultural negotiations is whether 'trade-distorting' subsidies, or subsidies outside the 'green box', are needed in order to pursue non-trade concerns. The term 'multifunctional agriculture' is increasingly applied to describe non-trade concerns. This article focuses on how to achieve the multifunctional goals that nations may have with minimal trade-distortion. In the first part of the article, this is done by a literature review and a theoretical analysis. The findings are then converted into an analysis of possible policy formulations in a Norwegian context using a partial equilibrium model. The article argues that multifunctionality hardly can justify the use of market support, while it may justify production-related budget support if the positive externalities or public goods are produced jointly with or complementary to agricultural production. The article concludes with suggestions for WTO trade rules to prevent such policies from becoming a form of protectionism.