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The Distributional Implications of Climate Policies Under Uncertainty

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  • Ulrich Eydam

    (University of Potsdam)

Abstract

Promoting the decarbonization of economic activity through climate policies raises many questions. From a macroeconomic perspective, it is important to understand how these policies perform under uncertainty, how they affect short-run dynamics and to what extent they have distributional effects. In addition, uncertainties directly associated with climate policies, such as uncertainty about the carbon budget or emission intensities, become relevant aspects. We study the implications of emission reduction schemes within a Two-Agent New-Keynesian (TANK) model. This quantitative exercise, based on data for the German economy, provides various insights. In the light of frictions and fluctuations, compared to other instruments, a carbon price (i.e. tax) is associated with lower volatility in output and consumption. In terms of aggregate welfare, price instruments are found to be preferable. Conditional on the distribution of revenues from climate policies, quantity instruments can exert regressive effects, posing a larger economic loss on wealth-poor households, whereas price instruments are moderately progressive. Finally, we find that unexpected changes in climate policies can induce substantial aggregate adjustments. With uncertainty about the carbon budget, the costs of adjustment are larger under quantity instruments.

Suggested Citation

  • Ulrich Eydam, 2021. "The Distributional Implications of Climate Policies Under Uncertainty," CEPA Discussion Papers 33, Center for Economic Policy Analysis.
  • Handle: RePEc:pot:cepadp:33
    DOI: 10.25932/publishup-50895
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    Cited by:

    1. Eydam, Ulrich & Diluiso, Francesca, 2022. "How to Redistribute the Revenues from Climate Policy? A Dynamic Perspective with Heterogeneous Households," VfS Annual Conference 2022 (Basel): Big Data in Economics 264076, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Ulrich Eydam & Francesca Diluiso, 2022. "How to Redistribute the Revenues from Climate Policy? A Dynamic Perspective with Financially Constrained Households," CEPA Discussion Papers 45, Center for Economic Policy Analysis.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    macroeconomic dynamics; environmental policy; inequality; policy design;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination

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