The relationship between pollution abatement costs and environmental regulation: Evidence from the Chinese industrial sector

Since the 2000s, China has been trying to strengthen emission controls in response to increasing pollution problems. However, strict implementation of emission controls generates pollution abatement costs. Using regional data for 29 provinces in the Chinese industrial sector from 1995 to 2010, this study estimated the pollution abatement costs for each province through the measurement of environmental efficiency, by applying a directional distance function approach. Moreover, using panel data analysis, this study clarified whether there is a nonlinear relationship between pollution abatement costs and environmental regulations. The empirical results are as follows. The study confirmed that the burden of abatement costs tended not only to occur in the central and western regions but also to increase in the eastern region. Moreover, the nonlinear relationship is inverted U‐shaped; thus, pollution abatement costs increase, as a negative effect of environmental regulations, until a certain inflection point, after which they decrease.     

Technical Change and Measuring Pollution Abatement Costs: An Activity Analysis Framework

The cornerstones of studies that estimate the effectof environmental regulations on an economy areestimates of the pollution abatement costs incurred bythe manufacturing and electric utility sectors.However, there are concerns regarding the accuracy ofthe surveys used to generate these cost estimates.This paper demonstrates that technical change tends toresult in an increasing share of pollution abatementcosts being impossible to measure. This finding hasimportant implications for estimating the productivityeffects of environmental regulations, developingregulatory budgets, and data collection effortsrelated to environmental accounting.     

节能减排政策对城市生态效率的影响——基于NDDF-DID的市级实证研究

采用非径向方向性距离函数测算了2005—2016年我国的城市生态效率,发现我国城市生态效率取得了明显改进,采用双重差分法实证研究了节能减排政策对城市生态效率的影响,结果表明:节能减排政策显著提高了城市生态效率,趋势性检验和安慰剂检验验证了双重差分估计的有效性和稳健性。最后,根据研究结果提出我国应该坚持推进节能减排政策,扩大节能减排政策的覆盖范围,加强节能减排政策的财政支持力度,同时指出城市在执行节能减排政策过程中,应当注重建立长效机制,以更好地实现节能减排政策的效果。     

Health Damage of Air Pollution: An Estimate of a Dose–Response Relationship for the Netherlands

This paper estimates the dose-response relationship between air pollution and the number of work loss days for the Netherlands. The study is based on illness data (work loss days) for the Dutch labour population and average year concentrations of air pollution in 29 districts. The dose-response relationship has been estimated by means of two different techniques: the ordinary least squares method (OLS) and the one-way fixed-effects method (OWFEM), which we consider to be more adequate. In general health effects are much smaller when OWFEM is applied than if OLS is used. With OWFEM a significant relationship is found between sulphate aerosol (SO₄), ammonia (NH₃) and the number of work loss days (WLDs). Particulates (TSP), O₃ and SO₂ have no significant effect on the number of WLDs. These results differ from those obtained in studies in the United States, which indicate that particulates (TSP) and other small particles, ozone (O₃) and to a lesser extent SO₄ and SO₂ significantly influence the number of WLDs.     

节能减排约束下广东地区工业经济的可持续发展：2011—2020

本文基于方向性距离函数（DDF）模型,采用序列DEA方法测度和比较了广东省21市的工业在2011—2020年间不同节能减排情景的潜在产出变化,探索出广东工业未来可持续发展的最优节能减排情景。结果显示：对大部分地区工业而言,节能减排初始阶段会造成较大的潜在产出净损失,但最终会逐步实现潜在产出净增长;特别地,节能减排行为对经济发展水平较高的珠三角地区比经济发展水平较低的其它地区造成的损失更小。节能减排的技术进步是各地区工业环境全要素生产率增长的核心动力,当然技术效率在后期也发挥出作用,这些结果反映出各地区须进一步提高节能减排技术,最终实现工业经济的可持续发展。     

Reforms of Environmental Policies in the Presence of Cross‐border Pollution and Public–Private Clean‐up*

We construct a two‐country model where pollution from production is transmitted across borders. Pollution abatement is undertaken by both private producers and the public sector. We characterize Nash optimal levels of the policy instruments in the two countries: emission taxes and funds allocated for public abatement activities. We examine the implications of a number of multilateral policy reforms. One of our findings is that the magnitude of the beneficial effect of a reform depends on the scope of the reform; if it is restricted to a subset of policy instruments, then the efficacy of environmental policy reform can be greatly undermined.     

An Empirical Assessment of the Swedish Bullionist Controversy*

In the 18th century, a fierce political debate broke out in Sweden about the causes of an extraordinary depreciation of the currency. More specifically, the deteriorating value of the Swedish currency was blamed arbitrarily on monetary causes (e.g., the overissuing of banknotes) and on non-monetary causes (such as balance-of-payments deficits). This paper provides a comprehensive empirical assessment of this so-called “Swedish Bullionist Controversy”. The results of vector autoregressions suggest that increasing amounts of paper money did give rise to inflation and a depreciation of the exchange rate. Conversely, non-monetary factors were probably less important for these developments.     

Economics of Summitry: An Empirical Assessment of the Economic Effects of Summits

Since 1975 the leaders of the seven industrial countries (the G-7) have held annual summits to discuss issues of common interest, attempt to coordinate their economic policies, and set goals for their economies. To empirically assess the effects of summit announcements and the degree of compliance with the stated goals on macroeconomic variables is an important, interesting, and well-defined undertaking. The present paper uses fuzzy membership function to model the degree of compliance with the stated goals and a VAR framework to test for the summit effects.     

Value-Added Erosion in Global Value Chains: An Empirical Assessment

In the period from 1995 to 2008, many countries experienced what we call the “value-added erosion.” It describes the decline in the sectoral shares of domestic value-added in a country’s exports as the country becomes more integrated into the global value chains (GVCs). We argue that the decline of the domestic value-added share in a country’s exports is likely to be caused by the expansion of high value-adding activities performed by foreign lead firms in the upper stream of the GVCs. The variables of interest — the domestic value-added share in exports and foreign high-skill labor embodied in a country’s exports (a proxy for foreign lead firms’ high value-adding activities) — are estimated using a multi-regional global input-output model. Using these results and other control variables, we apply a panel cointegration model to explain and assess the likelihood of value-added erosion and its possible determinants.     

The Shadow Economy in German Regions: An Empirical Assessment

Despite the increasing number of contributions to the literature, regional variations of the shadow economy have been hardly studied. This article analyses the determinants and derives the size of the shadow economy on the district level in Germany. I find that an inferior local labour market and the burden of taxation significantly contribute to the existence of the shadow economy, while a better enforcement of tax rules and regulations has the potential to deter such activities. Districts in the affluent south of Germany experience on average smaller shadow economies.     

On the Contemporary Commodity Structure of World Trade Patterns: An Empirical Assessment

For about 150 years, international trade theory has mostly highlighted trade in consumption goods. Such a modeling approach was likely supported by the then prevailing commodity structure of world trade. This paper shows that – at least since 1970 – only about 20 per cent of commodity trade has taken place in consumables, the remainder being intermediates and capital goods. Theoretically, this evidence suggests a move in the modelling strategy for traded goods: from utility functions to production functions. Sanyal and Jones' "new trade theory" (1982) does precisely that. In addition, some crucial research challenges emerge. These relate to dynamic changes in some general characteristics of production technologies throughout the world.     

The 1990 Trade Liberalisation Policy of Turkey: An Applied General Equilibrium Assessment

I use a static multi-sector, multi-labour, multi-household Applied General Equilibrium (AGE) model for Turkey to show that the trade policy implemented by Turkish policy-makers in the 1990s is not trade diverting. Aggregate welfare rises by 0.6% of the consumer income. Most importantly, since agriculture and traditional the rural income), while urban groups are worse off (-0.5% of the urban income). It is also shown that overall income inequality declines by 1.1-1.7%, and that its main source is the inter-income inequality between urban and rural areas, which decreases by 8.9- 14.7%. [D58, F14, F17]     

Spanish Imports of Manufactures and the European Union: An Empirical Assessment of the Entry

This paper investigates the consequences of Spain's accession to the European Union on its imports of manufactures. To that end the realised shares of GDP and the supplies of Spain's main trading partners in the transition period 1986–1992 are compared with the shares that are predicted by means of a model that is estimated using data that relate to the pre-integration period.     

支撑力和压力脱钩视角下中国生态承载力评价

提高生态承载力是生态文明建设的重要抓手之一,准确评价生态承载力是前提。文章基于大气、水和土壤三个生态环境层面的自净能力和污染水平视角,采用生态支撑力和压力脱钩模型,测度和评价了中国生态承载力状况。首先基于生态支撑力和压力脱钩类型构建了生态承载力评价框架,将生态承载力类型分为上升和下降两大类,每一大类有包含三个小类型。其次,采用脱钩模型对各地区总体和大气、水、土壤三个分类的生态承载力进行了测度,结果表明,整体生态承载力和分类生态承载力都呈现水平偏低,区域间和区域内差异明显和波动大的特征;西部地区的云南和新疆生态环境质量最好,而北京、湖南和四川生态环境质量相对较差。最后,文章从优化顶层设计、制定差异性生态环境保护和污染治理政策方面提出了提高生态承载力的政策参考。     

Luenberger and Malmquist Productivity Indices: Theoretical Comparisons and Empirical Illustration

This contribution establishes, from a theoretical viewpoint, the relations between the Malmquist productivity indices, that measure in either input or output orientations, and the Luenberger productivity indices, that can simultaneously contract inputs and expand outputs, but that can also measure in either input or output orientations. The main result is that a Malmquist productivity index overestimates productivity changes, since it provides productivity measures that are nearly twice those given by the Luenberger productivity index looking for simultaneous contractions of inputs and expansions of outputs. This relationship is empirically illustrated using data from 20 OECD countries over the 1974–97 period.     

FDI、经济增长与环境污染——基于SVAR模型的实证分析

在建设美丽中国深化生态文明体制改革背景下,借助SVAR模型检验了FDI、经济增长与环境污染内在机制。实证表明:我国经济与环境延续了"先污染后治理"的国际道路,FDI短期刺激经济增长显著,同时也恶化了环境,长期不是经济增长的动力源泉,但FDI的溢出效应有利于改善环境污染。为了理论与实践上平衡FDI、经济增长与环境保护,提出了调整经济增长极、优化外资质量和结构等政策着力点。     

中国投资函数的实证分析

投资函数模型,是对投资行为的描述,也是对影响投资规模的因素的分析。对投资函数的研究,实质是对投资规模制约方程的研究,也就是研究如何确定适度的投资规模。而投资规模的大小、投资规模是否适度,又直接决定了投资规模效益的高低。投资与经济增长之间相互依存、相互制约的关系也表明,投资规模是否合理、适度,是影响经济稳定运行的一个重要因素。因此,研究影响投资规模的诸因素,确定合理、适度的投资规模具有重大的理论意义和实践意义。本文以我国改革开放以来的数据为样本,建立了固定资产投资总额模型、资金来源多样化条件下的固定资产投资函数模型和投资主体多元化条件下的固定资产投资函数模型,对改革开放以来制约我国投资规模的因素作了实证分析。     

环境管制视角下污染产业转移的实证分析——以江苏省为例

随着经济全球化的发展,国际资本的频繁流动,引发了人们对于污染产业转移的相关讨论.有人认为发达国家通过加强环境管制,将污染产业转移到迫切需要资金的发展中国家.基于这一认识,本文以江苏省为研究样本,对其近年来的外商投资数量、行业结构及污染情况进行了实证分析和相关关系验证,其结果显示,环境管制对江苏省外商投资于污染产业的行为起到了一定的遏制作用,但同时也发现,目前江苏省的环境污染主要来源于国内企业.     

中国经济发展的环境效应分析——基于广义脉冲响应函数的实证检验

文章在测度我国1986-2007年环境污染综合指数的基础上,采用基于VEC模型的广义脉冲响应函数分析方法,探索产业结构、环境政策、城市化水平与外商直接投资4个因素的变动对我国环境污染综合指数的影响机理及其在时序维度上的动态特征。结果表明:城市化水平的提升和外商直接投资额的增加加剧了我国的环境污染综合指数的上升,而第三产业比重的提升和环境政策的实施,则对降低我国环境污染综合指数具有积极意义,且这4种作用都具有持续性特征。     

Money Creation in the Eurozone: An Empirical Assessment of the Endogenous and the Exogenous Money Theories

ABSTRACT

The aim of this paper is to strengthen our understanding of the money creation process in the Eurozone for 1999–2016 period, through an empirical assessment of two main monetary theories, namely the (Post Keynesian) endogenous money theory and the (Monetarist) exogenous money theory. By applying a VAR and VECM methodology, we analyse the causal relationship among monetary reserves (or monetary base), bank deposits and bank loans. Our empirical analysis supports several propositions of the Post Keynesian endogenous money theory since (i) bank loans determine bank deposits, and (ii) bank deposits in turn determine monetary reserves.