Verteilungswirkungen des Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetzes

The ongoing economic criticism of the German Renewable Energy Act (EEG) recently started focusing on distributional effects, too. A team of authors at the Cologne Institute for Economic Research is worried about high costs for electricity consumers. They argue since electric power consumption is only slightly correlated with income, the fi nancial burden of the EEG is substantially higher for low-income households than for high-income households. This regressive effect is even increased since particularly high-income households have installed photovoltaic systems and thereby gain from green power subsidies. In contrast, other authors argue that this debate on distributional effects, while desirable, often scandalizes rather common issues of everyday economic events while ignoring the real EEG-induced redistribution effects, that is to say the EEG reallocation charge privilege for energy-intensive industries. These authors advise against drawing on partial analysis when discussing distribution-related issues of the EEG. A team of authors at the ZEW are concerned about the cost-effi ciency of the EEG which is the underlying reason for the recent discussions on distributional effects. The energy transition will entail large additional cost which will have to be carried. Increasing the effi ciency of governmental energy and climate policies will increase acceptance and attenuate distributional effects.     

Towards a research agenda for post-disaster and post-crisis recovery strategies for tourist destinations: a narrative review

This paper presents the results of a review of the literature concerning post-disaster and post-crisis recovery for tourist destinations. A total of 64 articles on this topic published in peer-reviewed tourism journals between January 2000 and June 2012 were included in the review. These articles were written on a number of different disaster contexts, including weather-related events (floods and hurricanes), natural disasters (earthquakes and tsunami) and other events (such as pandemics and terrorist attacks). The key themes that emerged included a lack of communication between stakeholders, media sensationalism, the importance of selecting the most effective marketing messages, lack of disaster-management plans, damage to destination image and reputation, and the changes in tourist behaviour following crises and disasters. The review identifies ways to improve the speed and effectiveness of response to disaster, the importance of relationship marketing with loyal customers and the need to quickly repair destination image. Suggestions for future research arising from this review include the urgent need to encourage tourism operators to engage with crisis preparedness and disaster-management strategies and the importance of gaining a better understanding of the consumer response to disastrous events.     

The development of a conceptual model of greening in the business events tourism sector

This paper examines the process of corporate greening, and proposes a general conceptual model of the process, which may be relevant in a number of different corporate sectors. The model includes drivers of greening and barriers to greening and also the organisational context in which greening decisions are taken. In addition, this paper considers the role of media coverage in influencing pro-environmental behaviour amongst organisations. The paper then tests the model in one particular tourism context – that of business events – in order to ascertain the specific nature of the corporate greening process in that context. The paper concludes that the general model may be applied to a number of industry sectors, and the model specific to business events tourism may be used to underpin future research in this area.     

NAFTA: Results after one year

Increasing efforts at “regionalisation” can be observed worldwide, initiated particularly by the successes of the European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and also through the foundation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). What expectations are involved in such amalgamations, what problems arise and how can future opportunities be assessed, briefly: cui bono? The following paper analyses these questions with the help of experiences and information gained by NAFTA and attempts to answer them.     

Roche’s Clinical Trials with Organs from Prisoners: Does Profit Trump Morals?

This case study discusses the economic, legal, and ethical considerations for conducting clinical trials in a controversial context. In 2010, pharmaceutical giant Roche received a shame award by the Swiss non-governmental organization Berne Declaration and Greenpeace for conducting clinical trials with organs taken from executed prisoners in China. The company respected local regulations and industry ethical standards. However, medical associations condemned organs from executed prisoners on moral grounds. Human rights organizations demanded that Roche ended its clinical trials in China immediately. Students are expected to review the economic and ethical issues regarding the outsourcing of clinical trials to controversial human rights contexts, and discuss how to make business decisions when there are conflicts between making profit and ethical considerations. Was Roche complicit in the human rights violations that were related to its clinical trials? Future patients might benefit from these clinical trials. Do profit and the greater good, in general, trump morals?