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The Role of Standards in Eco-innovation: Lessons for Policymakers

Author

Listed:
  • Herman R.J. Vollebergh

    (CentER and Tilburg Sustainability Centre, Tilburg University, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, CESifo)

  • Edwin van der Werf

    (Wageningen University, CESifo)

Abstract

This paper aims to help policy makers identify how standards can contribute to the effective and cost-efficient development and deployment of eco-innovations (innovations that result in a reduction of environmental impact). To that end we discuss what standards are, how the process of standardization works, and how standards are related to induced innovation and diffusion in different type of markets, e.g. markets for add-on technologies versus markets for integrated resource- or emission-saving technologies. This broad perspective enables us to identify interesting economic dimensions of standards, such as their contribution to positive network externalities, and the extent to which they are substitutes or complements to environmental policy instruments. Finally we discuss how governments might contribute to eco-innovation by selecting, stimulating or creating (inter)national standards.

Suggested Citation

  • Herman R.J. Vollebergh & Edwin van der Werf, 2013. "The Role of Standards in Eco-innovation: Lessons for Policymakers," Working Papers 2013.74, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    • Handle: RePEc:fem:femwpa:2013.74
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Popp, David & Newell, Richard G. & Jaffe, Adam B., 2010. "Energy, the Environment, and Technological Change," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 873-937, Elsevier.
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      • Ellerman,A. Denny & Joskow,Paul L. & Schmalensee,Richard & Montero,Juan-Pablo & Bailey,Elizabeth M., 2000. "Markets for Clean Air," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521660839.
    6. Baumol,William J. & Oates,Wallace E., 1988. "The Theory of Environmental Policy," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521322249, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Bruno De Borger & Stef Proost, 2015. "Tax and regulatory policies for European Transport – getting there, but in the slow lane," Working Papers of Department of Economics, Leuven 497597, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Economics, Leuven.
    2. Simona Bigerna & Maria Chiara D’Errico & Paolo Polinori, 2022. "Sustainable Power Generation in Europe: A Panel Data Analysis of the Effects of Market and Environmental Regulations," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 83(2), pages 445-479, October.
    3. Vollebergh, Herman & van der Werf, Edwin & Vogel, Johanna, 2023. "A descriptive framework to evaluate instrument packages for the low-carbon transition," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    4. Filippo Maria D’Arcangelo & Ilai Levin & Alessia Pagani & Mauro Pisu & Åsa Johansson, 2022. "A framework to decarbonise the economy," OECD Economic Policy Papers 31, OECD Publishing.
    5. Kim, Yeong Jae & Brown, Marilyn, 2019. "Impact of domestic energy-efficiency policies on foreign innovation: The case of lighting technologies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 539-552.
    6. Antoine Dechezleprêtre & David Popp, 2015. "Fiscal and Regulatory Instruments for Clean Technology Development in the European Union," CESifo Working Paper Series 5361, CESifo.
    7. Trinks, Arjan & Hille, Erik, 2023. "Carbon Costs and Industrial Firm Performance: Evidence from International Microdata," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277705, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    8. 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.
    9. Rik L. Rozendaal & Herman R. J. Vollebergh, 2021. "Policy-Induced Innovation in Clean Technologies: Evidence from the Car Market," CESifo Working Paper Series 9422, CESifo.
    10. Srinivasan, Suchita, 2019. "The light at the end of the tunnel: Impact of policy on the global diffusion of fluorescent lamps," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 907-918.
    11. Bigerna, Simona & D'Errico, Maria Chiara & Polinori, Paolo, 2022. "Environmental variables and power firms' productivity: micro panel estimation with time-Invariant variables," MPRA Paper 114157, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. David Popp, 2019. "Environmental policy and innovation: a decade of research," CESifo Working Paper Series 7544, CESifo.
    13. Ming Yi & Xiaomeng Fang & Le Wen & Fengtao Guang & Yao Zhang, 2019. "The Heterogeneous Effects of Different Environmental Policy Instruments on Green Technology Innovation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-19, November.
    14. Bigerna, Simona & D'Errico, Maria Chiara & Polinori, Paolo, 2020. "Heterogeneous impacts of regulatory policy stringency on the EU electricity Industry:A Bayesian shrinkage dynamic analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    15. Mare Sarr & Joëlle Noailly, 2017. "Innovation, Diffusion, Growth and the Environment: Taking Stock and Charting New Directions," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 66(3), pages 393-407, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Standards; Technological Change; Eco-innovation; Environmental Policy Instruments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q38 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Government Policy (includes OPEC Policy)
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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