IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/tcpoxx/v10y2010i1p103-119.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Overcoming inertia: insights from evolutionary economics into improved energy and climate policies

Author

Listed:
  • KEVIN MARECHAL
  • NATHALIE LAZARIC

Abstract

The 'efficiency paradox' has generated controversy and suggests that mainstream economics is not neutral in the way it deals with climate change. An alternative economic framework, evolutionary economics, is used to investigate this crucial issue and offer insights into the development of a complementary framework for designing climate policy and for managing the transition to a low-carbon society. The evolutionary framework allows us to identify the presence of two sources of inertia (i.e. at the individual level through 'habits' and at the level of socio-technical systems) that mutually reinforce each other in a path-dependent manner. To overcome 'carbon lock-in', decision-makers should design measures (e.g. commitment strategies, niche management) that specifically target those change-resisting factors, as they tend to reduce the efficiency of traditional instruments. A series of recommendations for policy-makers is provided.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Marechal & Nathalie Lazaric, 2010. "Overcoming inertia: insights from evolutionary economics into improved energy and climate policies," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 103-119, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:tcpoxx:v:10:y:2010:i:1:p:103-119
    DOI: 10.3763/cpol.2008.0601
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.3763/cpol.2008.0601
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.3763/cpol.2008.0601?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Windrum, 2003. "Unlocking a Lock-in: Towards a Model of Technological Succession," Chapters, in: Pier Paolo Saviotti (ed.), Applied Evolutionary Economics, chapter 11, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Giovanni Dosi & Marco Grazzi, 2009. "Energy, Development and the Environment: An Appraisal Three Decades After the ‘Limits to Growth’ Debate," Chapters, in: Andreas Pyka & Uwe Cantner & Alfred Greiner & Thomas Kuhn (ed.), Recent Advances in Neo-Schumpeterian Economics, chapter 2, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Nannen, Volker & van den Bergh, Jeroen C. J. M., 2008. "Evolutionary Analysis of Climate Policy and Renewable Energy: Heterogeneous Agents, Relative Welfare and Social Network," MPRA Paper 25881, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Veblen, Thorstein, 1915. "Imperial Germany and The Industrial Revolution," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number veblen1915.
    5. James Foreman Peck, 1996. "Technological Lock-in and the Power Source for the Motor Car," Oxford Economic and Social History Working Papers _007, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    6. Albert Faber & Koen Frenken, 2008. "Models in evolutionary economics and environmental policy: Towards an evolutionary environmental economics," Innovation Studies Utrecht (ISU) working paper series 08-15, Utrecht University, Department of Innovation Studies, revised Apr 2008.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Steffen S. Bettin, 2020. "Electricity infrastructure and innovation in the next phase of energy transition—amendments to the technology innovation system framework," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 371-395, November.
    2. Belaïd, Fateh & Youssef, Adel Ben & Lazaric, Nathalie, 2020. "Scrutinizing the direct rebound effect for French households using quantile regression and data from an original survey," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    3. Belaïd, Fateh & Ranjbar, Zeinab & Massié, Camille, 2021. "Exploring the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency implementation measures in the residential sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    4. Nathalie Lazaric & Pasquale Tridico & Sebastiano Fadda, 2020. "Governing structural changes and sustainability through (new) institutions and organizations," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 30(5), pages 1267-1273, November.
    5. Nathalie Lazaric & Jun Jin & Ali Douai & Cécile Ayerbe, 2014. "Role of Users in the Developing Eco-Innovation: Comparative case research in China and France," Post-Print halshs-01070168, HAL.
    6. Francesco Macheda, 2022. "Industrial Policies and State-Owned Enterprises: The Foundations of China’s Path Towards Decarbonization," L'industria, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 4, pages 581-619.
    7. Monasterolo, Irene & Roventini, Andrea & Foxon, Tim J., 2019. "Uncertainty of climate policies and implications for economics and finance: An evolutionary economics approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 177-182.
    8. Kelly Levin & Benjamin Cashore & Steven Bernstein & Graeme Auld, 2012. "Overcoming the tragedy of super wicked problems: constraining our future selves to ameliorate global climate change," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 45(2), pages 123-152, June.
    9. Marc-Hubert Depret & Abdelillah Hamdouch, 2012. "Clean Technologies and Perspectives of the Green Economy in Emergent and Developing Countries: Foundations, Opportunities and Constraints," Chapters, in: Blandine Laperche & Nadine Levratto & Dimitri Uzunidis (ed.), Crisis, Innovation and Sustainable Development, chapter 12, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Nathalie Lazaric & Vanessa Oltra, 2012. "Sustainable Consumption in an Evolutionary Framework: How to Foster Behavioural Change?," Chapters, in: Blandine Laperche & Nadine Levratto & Dimitri Uzunidis (ed.), Crisis, Innovation and Sustainable Development, chapter 3, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Nathalie Lazaric & Fabrice Guel & Jean Belin & Vanessa Oltra & Sébastien Lavaud & Ali Douai, 2020. "Determinants of sustainable consumption in France: the importance of social influence and environmental values," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 30(5), pages 1337-1366, November.
    12. Odenweller, Adrian, 2022. "Climate mitigation under S-shaped energy technology diffusion: Leveraging synergies of optimisation and simulation models," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    13. Belaïd, Fateh, 2022. "Mapping and understanding the drivers of fuel poverty in emerging economies: The case of Egypt and Jordan," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    14. Chai, Andreas & Bradley, Graham & Lo, Alex & Reser, Joseph, 2015. "What time to adapt? The role of discretionary time in sustaining the climate change value–action gap," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 95-107.
    15. Silvano Cincotti & Wolfram Elsner & Nathalie Lazaric & Anastasia Nesvetailova & Engelbert Stockhammer, 2020. "Towards an evolutionary political economy. Editorial to the inaugural issue of the Review of Evolutionary Political Economy REPE," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-12, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nathalie Lazaric & Kevin Maréchal, 2010. "Overcoming inertia: insights from evolutionary economics into improved energy and climate policy," Post-Print hal-00452205, HAL.
    2. Marechal, Kevin, 2007. "The economics of climate change and the change of climate in economics," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 5181-5194, October.
    3. Ziad Rotaba & Catherine Beaudry, 2012. "How Do High, Medium, And Low Tech Firms Innovate? A System Of Innovation (Si) Approach," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 9(05), pages 1-23.
    4. Jan Fagerberg & Martin Srholec, 2017. "Global Dynamics, Capabilities and the Crisis," Economic Complexity and Evolution, in: Andreas Pyka & Uwe Cantner (ed.), Foundations of Economic Change, pages 83-106, Springer.
    5. Balint, T. & Lamperti, F. & Mandel, A. & Napoletano, M. & Roventini, A. & Sapio, A., 2017. "Complexity and the Economics of Climate Change: A Survey and a Look Forward," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 252-265.
    6. Bruce Truitt Elmslie, 1995. "Retrospective: The Convergence Debate between David Hume and Josiah Tucker," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 9(4), pages 207-216, Fall.
    7. D. Patinkin, 1995. "The training of an economist," BNL Quarterly Review, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, vol. 48(195), pages 359-395.
    8. Pedro, de Mendonça, 2009. "Self-Enforcing Climate Change Treaties: A Generalized Differential Game Approach with Applications," MPRA Paper 17889, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Jan Fagerberg & Maryann Feldman & Martin Srholec, 2011. "Technological Dynamics and Social Capability: Comparing U.S. States and European Nations," Working Papers on Innovation Studies 20111114, Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo.
    10. Jacques Fontanel, 2020. "Une croissance économique sans progrès humain," Post-Print hal-03709037, HAL.
    11. Anastassios D. Karayiannis & Allan E. Young, 2003. "Entrepreneurial Activities in a Veblenian Type Transition Economy," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 47(2), pages 40-51, October.
    12. Lepratte, Leandro, 2011. "Sistemas sociotécnicos, innovación y desarrollo [Sociotechnical systems, innovation and development]," MPRA Paper 33559, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Mario Cimoli & Giovanni Dosi & Richard Nelson & Joseph Stiglitz, 2007. "Policies and Institutional Engineering in Developing Economies," Globelics Working Paper Series 2007-04, Globelics - Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems, Aalborg University, Department of Business and Management.
    14. Taylor, Alan M. & Williamson, Jeffrey G., 1997. "Convergence in the age of mass migration," European Review of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1(1), pages 27-63, April.
    15. Agnès Labrousse & Sandrine Michel, 2017. "Accumulation regimes," Post-Print hal-01719977, HAL.
    16. Gomułka Stanisław, 2017. "The Global Economy in the 21st Century: Will the Trends of the 20th Century Continue?," Central European Economic Journal, Sciendo, vol. 2(49), pages 62-72, December.
    17. Silvano Cincotti & Wolfram Elsner & Nathalie Lazaric & Anastasia Nesvetailova & Engelbert Stockhammer, 2020. "Towards an evolutionary political economy. Editorial to the inaugural issue of the Review of Evolutionary Political Economy REPE," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-12, May.
    18. Jan Fagerberg & Martin Srholec, 2005. "Catching up: What are the Critical Factors for success?," Working Papers on Innovation Studies 20050401, Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo.
    19. Mikko Valorinta & Henri Schildt & Juha-Antti Lamberg, 2011. "Path Dependence of Power Relations, Path-Breaking Change and Technological Adaptation," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(8), pages 765-790, November.
    20. Mitra, Pradeep & Muravyev, Alexander & Schaffer, Mark E., 2009. "Convergence in institutions and market outcomes: cross-country and time-series evidence from the business environment and enterprise performance surveys in transition economies," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4819, The World Bank.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:tcpoxx:v:10:y:2010:i:1:p:103-119. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/tcpo20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.