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Carbon Taxes and Innovation without Commitment

Author

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  • Golombek Rolf

    (Frisch Centre)

  • Greaker Mads

    (Statistics Norway)

  • Hoel Michael

    (University of Oslo)

Abstract

Climate mitigation policy should be imposed over a long period, and spur innovation of new technologies in order to make stabilization of green house gas concentration economically feasible. The government may announce current and future policy packages that stimulate current R&D in climate-friendly technologies. However, once climate-friendly technologies have been developed, the government may have no incentive to implement the pre-announced future policies, that is, there may be a time inconsistency problem. We show that if the government can optimally subsidize R&D today, there is no time inconsistency problem. Thus, lack of commitment is not an argument for higher current R&D subsidies than the first-best subsidy. If the offered R&D subsidy is lower than the optimal subsidy, the current (sub-game perfect) carbon tax rate exceeds the first-best carbon tax rate.

Suggested Citation

  • Golombek Rolf & Greaker Mads & Hoel Michael, 2010. "Carbon Taxes and Innovation without Commitment," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:10:y:2010:i:1:n:32
    DOI: 10.2202/1935-1682.2473
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Xiao Yu & Yingdong Xu & Jian Zhang & Yue Sun, 2022. "The Synergy Green Innovation Effect of Green Innovation Subsidies and Carbon Taxes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-27, March.
    2. Fuest, Clemens & Meier, Volker, 2023. "Sustainable finance and climate change: Wasteful but a political commitment device?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    3. Lehmann, Paul, 2013. "Supplementing an emissions tax by a feed-in tariff for renewable electricity to address learning spillovers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 635-641.
    4. Renaud Coulomb & Oskar Lecuyer & Adrien Vogt-Schilb, 2019. "Optimal Transition from Coal to Gas and Renewable Power Under Capacity Constraints and Adjustment Costs," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 73(2), pages 557-590, June.
    5. Bouwe R. Dijkstra & Maria J. Gil‐Moltó, 2018. "Is emission intensity or output U‐shaped in the strictness of environmental policy?," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 20(2), pages 177-201, April.
    6. Lehmann, Paul & Gawel, Erik, 2013. "Why should support schemes for renewable electricity complement the EU emissions trading scheme?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 597-607.
    7. Liu Yao & Mukherjee Arijit, 2024. "Lobbying for Tariff Protection, International Technology Licensing and Consumer Surplus," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 24(1), pages 117-139, January.
    8. Rob Aalbers & Victoria Shestalova & Viktoria Kocsis, 2012. "Innovation policy for directing technical change in the power sector," CPB Discussion Paper 223, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    9. Strand, Jon & Miller, Sebastian & Siddiqui, Sauleh, 2011. "Infrastructure investments under uncertainty with the possibility of retrofit : theory and simulations," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5516, The World Bank.
    10. Chiappinelli, Olga & May, Nils, 2022. "Too good to be true? Time-inconsistent renewable energy policies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    11. Ashokankur Datta & E. Somanathan, 2016. "Climate Policy and Innovation in the Absence of Commitment," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(4), pages 917-955.
    12. Aalbers, Rob & Shestalova, Victoria & Kocsis, Viktória, 2013. "Innovation policy for directing technical change in the power sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1240-1250.
    13. Zhang, Xiao-Bing, 2014. "Strategic Carbon Taxation and Energy Pricing: The Role of Innovation," Working Papers in Economics 589, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    14. Daniel Nachtigall, 2019. "Dynamic Climate Policy Under Firm Relocation: The Implications of Phasing Out Free Allowances," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(1), pages 473-503, September.
    15. Alain-Désiré Nimubona & Hassan Benchekroun, 2014. "Environmental R&D in the Presence of an Eco-Industry," Working Papers 1406, University of Waterloo, Department of Economics, revised Sep 2014.

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