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IE WP 23/04 Prospective Voluntary Agreements to Escape Carbon Lock-in

Author

Listed:
  • Totti Könnölä

    (Helsinki University of Technology)

  • Gregory C. Unruh

    (Instituto de Empressa Business School)

  • Javier Carrillo- Hermosilla

    (Instituto de Empresa Business School)

Abstract

The paper looks for co-evolutionary policy responses to carbon lock-in – a persistent state that creates systemic market and policy barriers to carbon low technological alternatives. We address the coordination role for authorities rather than the corrective optimisation and analyse experiences from environmental voluntary agreements and foresight activities. The paper argues that combining the virtues of these tools into a new policy tool, named Prospective Voluntary Agreement (PVA), can help facilitate an escape from carbon lock-in and provide policy resources for addressing lock-in related issues. The merit of PVA lies with the enhancement of collaborative policy culture and inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary stakeholder learning that creates commitment to desired action for escaping lock-in.

Suggested Citation

  • Totti Könnölä & Gregory C. Unruh & Javier Carrillo- Hermosilla, 2005. "IE WP 23/04 Prospective Voluntary Agreements to Escape Carbon Lock-in," Others 0509005, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpot:0509005
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    environmental voluntary agreement; foresight; increasing returns; lock-in; path-dependence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • P - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems
    • Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics
    • Z - Other Special Topics

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