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Global progress and backsliding on gasoline taxes and subsidies

Author

Listed:
  • Michael L. Ross

    (University of California Los Angeles)

  • Chad Hazlett

    (University of California Los Angeles)

  • Paasha Mahdavi

    (McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University)

Abstract

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades, many governments will have to reform their energy policies. These policies are difficult to measure with any precision. As a result, it is unclear whether progress has been made towards important energy policy reforms, such as reducing fossil fuel subsidies. We use new data to measure net taxes and subsidies for gasoline in almost all countries at the monthly level and find evidence of both progress and backsliding. From 2003 to 2015, gasoline taxes rose in 83 states but fell in 46 states. During the same period, the global mean gasoline tax fell by 13.3% due to faster consumption growth in countries with lower taxes. Our results suggest that global progress towards fossil fuel price reform has been mixed, and that many governments are failing to exploit one of the most cost-effective policy tools for limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael L. Ross & Chad Hazlett & Paasha Mahdavi, 2017. "Global progress and backsliding on gasoline taxes and subsidies," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 2(1), pages 1-6, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:2:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_nenergy.2016.201
    DOI: 10.1038/nenergy.2016.201
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    Cited by:

    1. Rohan Best & Paul J. Burke, 2020. "Energy mix persistence and the effect of carbon pricing," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 64(3), pages 555-574, July.
    2. McCulloch, Neil & Natalini, Davide & Hossain, Naomi & Justino, Patricia, 2022. "An exploration of the association between fuel subsidies and fuel riots," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    3. Mamipour, Siab & Salem, Ali Asghar & Sayadi, Mohammad & Azizkhani, Masoumeh, 2023. "Retail gasoline pricing in a subsidized energy market: An empirical analysis from AIDS model for Iran," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    4. Rabah Arezki & Simeon Djankov & Ha Nguyen & Ivan Yotzov, 2022. "The Political Costs of Oil Price Shocks," CESifo Working Paper Series 9763, CESifo.
    5. Kpodar, Kangni & Abdallah, Chadi, 2017. "Dynamic fuel price pass-through: Evidence from a new global retail fuel price database," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 303-312.
    6. Keisuke Okada & Sovannroeun Samreth, 2021. "Oil bonanza and the composition of government expenditure," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 23-46, March.
    7. Rohan Best & Paul J. Burke & Frank Jotzo, 2020. "Carbon Pricing Efficacy: Cross-Country Evidence," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 77(1), pages 69-94, September.
    8. Mathieu Blondeel & Jeff Colgan & Thijs Van deGraaf, 2019. "What Drives Norm Success? Evidence from Anti–Fossil FuelCampaigns," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 19(4), pages 63-84, November.
    9. Aurélien Saussay, 2019. "Dynamic heterogeneity: rational habits and the heterogeneity of household responses to gasoline prices," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03632598, HAL.
    10. Christian Elliott & Steven Bernstein & Matthew Hoffmann, 2022. "Credibility dilemmas under the Paris agreement: explaining fossil fuel subsidy reform references in INDCs," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 735-759, December.
    11. Beaudoin, Justin & Chen, Yuan & Heres, David R. & Kheiravar, Khaled H. & Lade, Gabriel E. & Yi, Fujin & Zhang, Wei & Lin Lawell, C.-Y. Cynthia, 2018. "Environmental Policies in the Transportation Sector: Taxes, Subsidies, Mandates, Restrictions, and Investment," ISU General Staff Papers 201808150700001050, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    12. Burke, Paul J. & Batsuuri, Tsendsuren & Yudhistira, Muhammad Halley, 2017. "Easing the traffic: The effects of Indonesia’s fuel subsidy reforms on toll-road travel," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 167-180.
    13. Natalini, Davide & Bravo, Giangiacomo & Newman, Edward, 2020. "Fuel riots: definition, evidence and policy implications for a new type of energy-related conflict," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    14. Mattioli, Giulio & Philips, Ian & Anable, Jillian & Chatterton, Tim, 2019. "Vulnerability to motor fuel price increases: Socio-spatial patterns in England," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 98-114.
    15. McCulloch, Neil & Moerenhout, Tom & Yang, Joonseok, 2021. "Fuel subsidy reform and the social contract in Nigeria: A micro-economic analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    16. Baratsas, Stefanos G. & Niziolek, Alexander M. & Onel, Onur & Matthews, Logan R. & Floudas, Christodoulos A. & Hallermann, Detlef R. & Sorescu, Sorin M. & Pistikopoulos, Efstratios N., 2022. "A novel quantitative forecasting framework in energy with applications in designing energy-intelligent tax policies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    17. Broadbent, Gail Helen & Allen, Cameron Ian & Wiedmann, Thomas & Metternicht, Graciela Isabel, 2022. "Accelerating electric vehicle uptake: Modelling public policy options on prices and infrastructure," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 155-174.
    18. Kheiravar, Khaled H, 2019. "Economic and Econometric Analyses of the World Petroleum Industry, Energy Subsidies, and Air Pollution," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt3gj151w9, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.

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