IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/udf/wpaper/201202.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

A Political Economy Approach to Resource Taxation: Weak Sustainability, Revenue Recycling and Regional Planning

Author

Listed:
  • Massimiliano Mazzanti
  • Roberto Zoboli

Abstract

We present conceptual and empirical insights on the issue of resource taxation, an intrinsic regional environmental policy. It deals with the implementation of environmental taxes and environmental planning at regional level, as tools aimed at achieving weak sustainability for non renewable resources like aggregates, extracted for a diverse set of economic aims. We frame the discussion in the spirit of refreshing the need of ecological and resource tax reforms at national and regional level-. We do note and discuss the intrinsic peculiarities of resource taxes with respect to emission taxes, namely the integration with regional planning, the use of revenue for weak sustainability objectives, the different role by played technology and efficiency. Factors that are to be taken into account in any specific implementation. We empirically investigate resource taxation issues by focusing on aggregate extraction management and policy of two large Northern Italian regions, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. We conclude that the possible effects of extraction charges for the aggregate market development in Italy can be very limited. The level of charges is generally too low to be expected to have an effect on demand (through aggregate prices) and supply of aggregates. The environmental objectives of planning are, at least for the moment, other than reducing extraction, and they generally consist of minimising external impacts, to support sustainable management of landscapes, and to provide multi-value public goods within the local area. The evidence shows that even more for resource taxes a political economy analysis that encompasses institutional and planning issues is needed to effectively shape environmental policies. The complementarity of land use planning and economic instruments is a key driver of sustainability performances and witness reciprocal influences. The unintended effects of economic instruments are also a crucial thing for evaluating effectiveness and efficiency. Those include positive effects of ‘institutional kind’ on the governance and organizational performance of the integrated policy-planning framework.

Suggested Citation

  • Massimiliano Mazzanti & Roberto Zoboli, 2012. "A Political Economy Approach to Resource Taxation: Weak Sustainability, Revenue Recycling and Regional Planning," Working Papers 201202, University of Ferrara, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:udf:wpaper:201202
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://out.economia.unife.it/uploads/dip_deit/quaderni/201202.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kirk Hamilton & Giovanni Ruta & Liaila Tajibaeva, 2006. "Capital Accumulation and Resource Depletion: A Hartwick Rule Counterfactual," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 34(4), pages 517-533, August.
    2. Robert M. Solow, 2009. "An Amateur Among Professionals," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 1(1), pages 1-14, September.
    3. Patuelli, Roberto & Nijkamp, Peter & Pels, Eric, 2005. "Environmental tax reform and the double dividend: A meta-analytical performance assessment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(4), pages 564-583, December.
    4. William J. Baumol, 2010. "On the Increasing Role of Economic Research in Management of Resources and Protection of the Environment," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 2(1), pages 1-11, October.
    5. Bleischwitz, Raimund & Bahn-Walkowiak, Bettina & Irrek, Wolfgang & Schepelmann, Phillip & Schmidt-Bleek, Friedrich & Giljum, Stefan & Lutter, Stephan & Bohunovski, Lisa & Hinterberger, Friedrich & Haw, 2009. "Eco-Innovation - putting the EU on the path to a resource and energy efficient economy," Wuppertal Spezial, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, volume 38, number 38.
    6. Kolstad, Ivar & Wiig, Arne, 2009. "It's the rents, stupid! The political economy of the resource curse," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 5317-5325, December.
    7. Clinch, J. Peter & Dunne, Louise & Dresner, Simon, 2006. "Environmental and wider implications of political impediments to environmental tax reform," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 960-970, May.
    8. G. M.P. Swann, 2009. "The Economics of Innovation," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13211.
    9. Bento, Antonio M. & Jacobsen, Mark, 2007. "Ricardian rents, environmental policy and the `double-dividend' hypothesis," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 17-31, January.
    10. Paul Ekins & Philip Summerton & Chris Thoung & Daniel Lee, 2011. "A Major Environmental Tax Reform for the UK: Results for the Economy, Employment and the Environment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 50(3), pages 447-474, November.
    11. van der Ploeg, Frederick, 2010. "Why do many resource-rich countries have negative genuine saving?: Anticipation of better times or rapacious rent seeking," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 28-44, January.
    12. Mr. John Thornton & Fabian Bornhorst & Mr. Sanjeev Gupta, 2008. "Natural Resource Endowments, Governance, and the Domestic Revenue Effort: Evidence from a Panel of Countries," IMF Working Papers 2008/170, International Monetary Fund.
    13. Bosquet, Benoit, 2000. "Environmental tax reform: does it work? A survey of the empirical evidence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 19-32, July.
    14. Aidt, Toke S., 2010. "Green taxes: Refunding rules and lobbying," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 31-43, July.
    15. Karen Pittel & Lucas Bretschger, 2008. "Sectoral Heterogeneity, Resource Depletion, and Directed Technical Change: Theory and Policy," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 08/96, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    16. Dresner, Simon & Jackson, Tim & Gilbert, Nigel, 2006. "History and social responses to environmental tax reform in the United Kingdom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 930-939, May.
    17. Groth, Christian & Schou, Poul, 2007. "Growth and non-renewable resources: The different roles of capital and resource taxes," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 80-98, January.
    18. Elissaios Papyrakis & Reyer Gerlagh, 2004. "Resource-Abundance and Economic Growth in the U.S," Working Papers 2004.62, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    19. Segal, Paul, 2011. "Resource Rents, Redistribution, and Halving Global Poverty: The Resource Dividend," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 475-489, April.
    20. Clinch, J. Peter & Dunne, Louise, 2006. "Environmental tax reform: an assessment of social responses in Ireland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 950-959, May.
    21. Deroubaix, Jose-Frederic & Leveque, Francois, 2006. "The rise and fall of French Ecological Tax Reform: social acceptability versus political feasibility in the energy tax implementation process," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 940-949, May.
    22. Lucas Bretschger & Simone Valente, 2010. "Endogenous Growth, Asymmetric Trade and Resource Taxation," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 10/132, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Rong Zhou & Kathleen Segerson, 2012. "Are Green Taxes a Good Way to Help Solve State Budget Deficits?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 4(6), pages 1-25, June.
    2. Stefano Carattini & Maria Carvalho & Sam Fankhauser, 2018. "Overcoming public resistance to carbon taxes," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(5), September.
    3. Nicholas Kilimani, 2014. "Water Taxation and the Double Dividend Hypothesis," Working Papers 201451, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
    4. Orlov, Anton & Grethe, Harald & McDonald, Scott, 2013. "Carbon taxation in Russia: Prospects for a double dividend and improved energy efficiency," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 128-140.
    5. Tomás, Manuel & García-Muros, Xaquín & Alonso-Epelde, Eva & Arto, Iñaki & Rodríguez-Zúñiga, Alejandro & Monge, Cristina & González-Eguino, Mikel, 2023. "Ensuring a just energy transition: A distributional analysis of diesel tax reform in Spain with stakeholder engagement," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    6. Andrea Kollmann & Friedrich Schneider, 2010. "Why Does Environmental Policy in Representative Democracies Tend to Be Inadequate? A Preliminary Public Choice Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 2(12), pages 1-25, November.
    7. Umit, Resul & Schaffer, Lena Maria, 2020. "Attitudes towards carbon taxes across Europe: The role of perceived uncertainty and self-interest," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    8. Hsu, Shi-Ling & Walters, Joshua & Purgas, Anthony, 2008. "Pollution tax heuristics: An empirical study of willingness to pay higher gasoline taxes," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 3612-3619, September.
    9. Siegmeier, Jan & Mattauch, Linus & Edenhofer, Ottmar, 2018. "Capital beats coal: How collecting the climate rent increases aggregate investment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 366-378.
    10. Agnolucci, Paolo, 2009. "The effect of the German and British environmental taxation reforms: A simple assessment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 3043-3051, August.
    11. Caballero, Karina, 2017. "Políticas públicas sectoriales para el cambio climático en América Latina: una aproximación," Documentos de Proyectos 43123, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    12. Ercolano, Salvatore & Gaeta, Giuseppe Lucio & Romano, Oriana, 2012. "Environmental fiscal reform and willingness to pay for the environment: an empirical analysis on European micro data," MPRA Paper 39680, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Ercolano, Salvatore & Gaeta, Giuseppe Lucio & Romano, Oriana, 2014. "Environmental tax reform and individual preferences: An empirical analysis on European micro data," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1-11.
    14. Magdalena Radulescu & Crenguta Ileana Sinisi & Constanta Popescu & Silvia Elena Iacob & Luigi Popescu, 2017. "Environmental Tax Policy in Romania in the Context of the EU: Double Dividend Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-20, October.
    15. Gramkow, Camila, 2020. "Green fiscal policies: An armoury of instruments to recover growth sustainably," Estudios y Perspectivas – Oficina de la CEPAL en Brasilia 45418, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    16. Yu‐Bong Lai, 2018. "The Feasibility of the Double‐Dividend Hypothesis in a Democratic Economy," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 120(1), pages 211-241, January.
    17. Chung-Fu Lai, 2016. "Examining the Double Dividend Effect of Energy Tax with the Overlapping Generations Model," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 6(1), pages 53-57.
    18. Freire-González, Jaume, 2018. "Environmental taxation and the double dividend hypothesis in CGE modelling literature: A critical review," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 194-223.
    19. Warwick J. McKibbin & Adele C. Morris & Peter J. Wilcoxen, 2014. "The Economic Consequences of Delay in US Climate Policy," CCEP Working Papers 1408, Centre for Climate & Energy Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    20. Justin Doran & Geraldine Ryan, 2016. "The Importance of the Diverse Drivers and Types of Environmental Innovation for Firm Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 102-119, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Resource tax reforms; aggregates; environmental charges; regional planning; sustainability; ex post compensations; Political economy; unintended effects; environmental federalism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q32 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Exhaustible Resources and Economic Development
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R52 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Land Use and Other Regulations

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:udf:wpaper:201202. 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: Alberto Benati (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/deferit.html .

    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.