The Polluter Profits Principle: A Note on the Grandfathering of CO2 Emissions Rights in Lax-Cap Trading Regimes

Grandfathering is currently the main principle for the initial allocation of tradable CO2 emission rights under the European cap-and-trade scheme. Furthermore, political feasibility often requires non-restrictive emission caps. Grandfathering under lax cap is unjust, biased and brings polluters unintended windfall profits. Still, in any post-Kyoto international CO2 regime, lax caps may be critical in coaxing binding emission targets out of more countries, especially those in the less-developed world. This paper argues that there is a certain quantity of emission rights between the initial and the optimal emissions, the grandfathering of which brings polluters zero windfall profits or zero windfall losses. Our theoretical concept of zero-windfall grandfathering can be used to demonstrate the windfall profits that have emerged at company level during the first EU trading period. It might thus encourage governments to embrace auctioning, and to combine it with grandfathering as a legitimate tool in the initial allocation of emission rights in later trading regimes.

Az agrárkereskedelem változása Magyarország és az Európai Unió között a csatlakozás után (The post-accession change in agricultural trading between Hungary and the EU)

2004-ben Magyarország kilenc közép-kelet-európai országgal együtt csatlakozott az Európai Unióhoz, ami számos változást idézett elő az agrárkereskedelem terén. A cikk célja, hogy a legfrissebb adatok és a szakirodalmi fejlemények tükrében bemutassa, hogyan alakult Magyarországon a mezőgazdasági alapanyagok és a feldolgozott termékek kereskedelme az Európai Unióval. A megnyilvánuló komparatív előnyök módszerét alkalmazva a cikk számos következtetésre jutott. Először is világossá vált, hogy a csatlakozás növelte az agrárkereskedelem intenzitását, ám negatív hatással volt a kereskedelem egyenlegére. Kimutatható továbbá, hogy Magyarország az alacsony hozzáadott értékű alapanyagexportra és a magas hozzáadott értékű feldolgozott termékek importjára koncentrált a csatlakozás után, noha ezek komparatív előnyei nagymértékben megváltoztak egy hatékony alkalmazkodási folyamat következtében. A változások tényét támasztják alá a különböző rövid és hosszú távú stabilitásvizsgálatok is, amelyek az agrártermékek megnövekedett versenyére utalnak az EU-15 piacán. Agrárpolitikai szempontból az elemzések alátámasztják a strukturális reformok szükségességét. / === / Numerous changes in agricultural trading from the EU accession of Hungary and nine other Central-East European countries in 2004. The article sets out to present, in the light of the latest figures and written contributions, how Hungary’s EU trade in agricultural raw and semi-processed products developed thereafter. It uses the method of manifest comparative advantages to reach its conclusions. First, it became clear that accession increased the intensity of agricultural trading, although it had a detrimental effect on the trade balance. It also appeared that post-accession Hungary was concentrating on exports of basic materials of low added value and imports of processed articles with high added value, although these comparative advantages were much altered by an effective process of adaptation. The fact of the changes is supported by various short and long-term stability examinations, which point to increased competition for agricultural products on EU15 markets. From the policy point of view, the analyses support the need for structural reforms.

Analyzing interrelated stochastic trend and seasonality on the example of energy trading data

The correct modelling of long- and short-term seasonality is a very interesting issue. The choice between the deterministic and stochastic modelling of trend and seasonality and their implications are as relevant as the case of deterministic and stochastic trends itself. The study considers the special case when the stochastic trend and seasonality do not evolve independently and the usual differencing filters do not apply. The results are applied to the day-ahead (spot) trading data of some main European energy exchanges (power and natural gas).

Analyzing interrelated stochastic trend and seasonality on the example of energy trading data

The correct modelling of long- and short-term seasonality is a very interesting issue. The choice between the deterministic and stochastic modelling of trend and seasonality and their implications are as relevant as the case of deterministic and stochastic trends itself. The study considers the special case when the stochastic trend and seasonality do not evolve independently and the usual differencing filters do not apply. The results are applied to the day-ahead (spot) trading data of some main European energy exchanges (power and natural gas).

Trading between perceived risks and benefits related to biosimilar biological treatment in Crohn’s disease; discrete choice experiment among gastroenterologists

Objective: The objective of the study is to explore preferences of gastroenterologists for biosimilar drugs in Crohn’s Disease and reveal trade-offs between the perceived risks and benefits related to biosimilar drugs. Method: Discrete choice experiment was carried out involving 51 Hungarian gastroenterologists in May, 2014. The following attributes were used to describe hypothetical choice sets: 1) type of the treatment (biosimilar/originator) 2) severity of disease 3) availability of continuous medicine supply 4) frequency of the efficacy check-ups. Multinomial logit model was used to differentiate between three attitude types: 1) always opting for the originator 2) willing to consider biosimilar for biological-naïve patients only 3) willing to consider biosimilar treatment for both types of patients. Conditional logit model was used to estimate the probabilities of choosing a given profile. Results: Men, senior consultants, working in IBD center and treating more patients are more likely to willing to consider biosimilar for biological-naïve patients only. Treatment type (originator/biosimilar) was the most important determinant of choice for patients already treated with biologicals, and the availability of continuous medicine supply in the case biological-naïve patients. The probabilities of choosing the biosimilar with all the benefits offered over the originator under current reimbursement conditions are 89% vs 11% for new patients, and 44% vs 56% for patients already treated with biological. Conclusions: Gastroenterologists were willing to trade between perceived risks and benefits of biosimilars. The continuous medical supply would be one of the major benefits of biosimilars. However, benefits offered in the scenarios do not compensate for the change from the originator to the biosimilar treatment of patients already treated with biologicals.

Trading democracy for security? The effects of the international drug war on the quality of democracy in the Dominican Republic, 1996–2008

The purpose of the research is to study the relationship between international drug interdiction policies and domestic politics in fragile democracies, and to demonstrate how international drug control policies and the use of force fit the rhetoric of war, are legitimized by the principles of a just war, but may also cause collateral damage and negative unintended consequences. The method used is a case study of the Dominican Republic. The research has found that international drug control regimes, primarily led by the U.S. and narrowly focused on interdiction, have influenced an increasingly militarized approach to domestic law enforcement in the Dominican Republic. The collateral damage caused by militarized enforcement comes in the form of negative perceptions of citizen security, loss of respect for the rule of law and due process, and low levels of civil society development. The drug war has exposed the need for significant reform of the institutions charged with carrying out enforcement, the police force and the judicial system in particular. The dissertation concludes that the extent of drug trafficking in the Dominican Republic is beyond the scope of domestic reform efforts alone, but that the programs implemented do show some potential for future success. The dissertation also concludes that the framework of warfare is not the most appropriate for the international problems of drug traffic and abuse. A broader, multipronged approach should be considered by world policy makers in order to address all conditions that allow drugs to flourish without infringing upon democratic and civil rights in the process.

Essays on emissions trading markets

This dissertation is a collection of three economics essays on different aspects of carbon emission trading markets. The first essay analyzes the dynamic optimal emission control strategies of two nations. With a potential to become the largest buyer under the Kyoto Protocol, the US is assumed to be a monopsony, whereas with a large number of tradable permits on hand Russia is assumed to be a monopoly. Optimal costs of emission control programs are estimated for both the countries under four different market scenarios: non-cooperative no trade, US monopsony, Russia monopoly, and cooperative trading. The US monopsony scenario is found to be the most Pareto cost efficient. The Pareto efficient outcome, however, would require the US to make side payments to Russia, which will even out the differences in the cost savings from cooperative behavior. The second essay analyzes the price dynamics of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), a voluntary emissions trading market. By examining the volatility in market returns using AR-GARCH and Markov switching models, the study associates the market price fluctuations with two different political regimes of the US government. Further, the study also identifies a high volatility in the returns few months before the market collapse. Three possible regulatory and market-based forces are identified as probable causes of market volatility and its ultimate collapse. Organizers of other voluntary markets in the US and worldwide may closely watch for these regime switching forces in order to overcome emission market crashes. The third essay compares excess skewness and kurtosis in carbon prices between CCX and EU ETS (European Union Emission Trading Scheme) Phase I and II markets, by examining the tail behavior when market expectations exceed the threshold level. Dynamic extreme value theory is used to find out the mean price exceedence of the threshold levels and estimate the risk loss. The calculated risk measures suggest that CCX and EU ETS Phase I are extremely immature markets for a risk investor, whereas EU ETS Phase II is a more stable market that could develop as a mature carbon market in future years.

Trading Democracy for Security? The Effects of the International Drug War on the Quality of Democracy in the Dominican Republic, 1996 -2008

The purpose of the research is to study the relationship between international drug interdiction policies and domestic politics in fragile democracies, and to demonstrate how international drug control policies and the use of force fit the rhetoric of war, are legitimized by the principles of a just war, but may also cause collateral damage and negative unintended consequences. The method used is a case study of the Dominican Republic. The research has found that international drug control regimes, primarily led by the U.S. and narrowly focused on interdiction, have influenced an increasingly militarized approach to domestic law enforcement in the Dominican Republic. The collateral damage caused by militarized enforcement comes in the form of negative perceptions of citizen security, loss of respect for the rule of law and due process, and low levels of civil society development. The drug war has exposed the need for significant reform of the institutions charged with carrying out enforcement, the police force and the judicial system in particular. The dissertation concludes that the extent of drug trafficking in the Dominican Republic is beyond the scope of domestic reform efforts alone, but that the programs implemented do show some potential for future success. The dissertation also concludes that the framework of warfare is not the most appropriate for the international problems of drug traffic and abuse. A broader, multipronged approach should be considered by world policy makers in order to address all conditions that allow drugs to flourish without infringing upon democratic and civil rights in the process.

Evaluating New Policy Instruments of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards : Footprints, Credit Transferring and Credit Trading

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Evaluating New Policy Instruments of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards : Footprints, Credit Transferring and Credit Trading

Publisher PDF

L'évaluation de l'action préventive en contexte d'imprévisibilité : les enjeux d'un projet de prévention des MTS/VIH/SIDA par les pairs, Amazonas, Brésil

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Renovação da certificação do referencial BRC, aplicação do código de ética laboral ETI – Ethical Trading Initiative e do referencial específico da Walmart na central fruteira O Melro.OP

A crescente preocupação com a segurança alimentar por parte das empresas do setor, assim como a segurança e o bem estar dos trabalhadores cresce com o alargamento do mercado de exportação e importação de produtos. As exigências de muitos retalhistas e grossistas europeus reforçam a necessidade de implementação de referenciais específicos. Este trabalho tem por base a atualização da norma British Retail Consortium (BRC) para a sétima versão, implementação do referencial Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) e Walmart na central fruteira O Melro.OP. Todos os referenciais foram analisados, de forma a compreender as melhores metodologias para o cumprimento dos requisitos exigidos, tendo sido consultada a legislação aplicável relevante aos vários setores, recursos humanos, ética, segurança e higiene no trabalho e ambiente. Procedeu-se à elaboração das check lists para cada referencial e a uma auditoria prévia com o objetivo de avaliar a situação atual da empresa. Elaboraram-se relatórios e planos de ação indicando as alterações a ter em conta para a implementação e atualização dos referenciais e toda a documentação associada. Posteriormente foi feita uma auditoria interna de modo a confirmar que o plano de ação da auditoria prévia foi aplicado, tendo-se elaborado o relatório da auditoria e novos planos de ação para futura melhoria e obtenção das respetivas certificações. Com a implementação destas certificações para os referenciais BRC, ETI e Walmart a empresa pode obter uma maior visibilidade no mercado, aumentado assim o seu leque de clientes.