How effective are policies to reduce gasoline consumption? evaluating a quasi-natural experiment in Spain

Using a panel of 48 provinces for four years we empirically analyze a series of temporary policies aimed at curbing fuel consumption implemented in Spain between March and June 2011. The first policy was a reduction in the speed limit in highways. The second policy was an increase in the biofuel content of fuels used in the transport sector. The third measure was a reduction of 5% in commuting and regional train fares that resulted in two major metropolitan areas reducing their overall fare for public transit. The results indicate that the speed limit reduction in highways reduced gasoline consumption by between 2% and 3%, while an increase in the biofuel content of gasoline increased this consumption. This last result is consistent with experimental evidence that indicates that mileage per liter falls with an increase in the biofuel content in gasolines. As for the reduction in transit fares, we do not find a significant effect for this policy. However, in specifications including the urban transit fare for the major cities in each province the estimated cross-price elasticity of the demand for gasoline -used as a proxy for car use- with respect to the price of transit is within the range reported in the literature. This is important since one of the main eficiency justification for subsidizing public transit rests on the positive value of this parameter and most of the estimates reported in the literature are quite dated.

Musée de l'histoire du costume [32 rue Beaujon, Hôtel de Madrazo, Paris, 8e arrondissement, ouvert au public le 24 janvier 1920] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 57817

Musée de l'histoire du costume [32 rue Beaujon, Hôtel de Madrazo, Paris, 8e arrondissement, ouvert au public le 24 janvier 1920] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 57826

Musée de l'histoire du costume, Louis XV (1760) [32 rue Beaujon, Hôtel de Madrazo, Paris, 8e arrondissement, ouvert au public le 24 janvier 1920] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 57825

Musée de l'histoire du costume, France, Henri IV [32 rue Beaujon, Hôtel de Madrazo, Paris, 8e arrondissement, ouvert au public le 24 janvier 1920] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 57824

Musée de l'histoire du costume, France, 1580 [32 rue Beaujon, Hôtel de Madrazo, Paris, 8e arrondissement, ouvert au public le 24 janvier 1920] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 57823

Musée de l'histoire du costume, 17e siècle (1665) [32 rue Beaujon, Hôtel de Madrazo, Paris, 8e arrondissement, ouvert au public le 24 janvier 1920] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 57822

Musée de l'histoire du costume [32 rue Beaujon, Hôtel de Madrazo, Paris, 8e arrondissement, ouvert au public le 24 janvier 1920] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 57821

Musée de l'histoire du costume, France , Louis VI, 1787 [32 rue Beaujon, Hôtel de Madrazo, Paris, 8e arrondissement, ouvert au public le 24 janvier 1920] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 57818

Musée de l'histoire du costume, robe de Doge, 16e siècle, appartenant à M. Stein [32 rue Beaujon, Hôtel de Madrazo, Paris, 8e arrondissement, ouvert au public le 24 janvier 1920] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 57820

Musée de l'histoire du costume, 18e siècle, Louis XVI (1785), appartenant à M. Schütz [32 rue Beaujon, Hôtel de Madrazo, Paris, 8e arrondissement, ouvert au public le 24 janvier 1920] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 57819

(Re)constituer un espace public et promouvoir le débat sans prendre position

This paper presents the analysis of a website created in 2011 by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) to support an information campaign about the organ donation. Observing how a Swiss institution publicly communicates about an issue belonging to the private sphere, this paper describes how the semiotic and discursive resources are mobilised to meet specific goals: promoting discussion and decision about the organ donation while maintaining complete neutrality about the topic. In order to do this, we first discuss the issue of publicising organ donation in Switzerland; then we conduct a detailed analysis of the website to understand the role of the linguistic forms and structures in the communication strategy of the FOPH. This strategy relies on the representation of a public sphere in which ordinary people express conflicting positions about organ donation.