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This article compares and contrasts the traditional planning approach to network investment, the regulatory treatment of capital expenditure within RPI–X price-cap regulation, and the use of auctions. It shows why auctions may be helpful in allocating existing capacity, but can only play a limited role in identifying future investment needs. Auctions cannot determine optimal investment. The application of auctions in the 2001 Transco price review is criticised and an alternative approach proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper explores how an agent's incentives map into her performance. We let the agent choose how much effort to invest and which project to implement. We show that the relationship between an agent's incentives to perform and her expected performance could be negative and we characterize alternative conditions for a negative relationship. This also holds true when the principal instead of the agent makes the project choice. We thereby show that the you-get-what-you-pay-for principle is not robust and offer a non-behavioral explanation for the failure of incentives. The results have implications for regulation and ownership structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to find evidence for suboptimal behaviour caused by suboptimal incentives in the governance of public projects. The paper uses data from two internal sources within the Norwegian Defence Material Agency. The data suggests that the agency's projects respond to the incentives put forward by the success criteria, and this led to suboptimal behaviour. Further, the paper uses principal-agent theory to investigate how to explain the Norwegian Defence Material Agency's actions and how to rectify the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green Hydrogen (GH) is increasingly recognized as a viable solution in the United States (US) for meeting energy demands, achieving net zero emissions by 2050, and mitigating the intermittent nature of renewable sources such as wind and solar. This review paper identifies and examines three crucial research areas concerning GH. Despite significant federal, state, and business investment in the development of hydrogen technology, numerous questions have remained unanswered including economic viability, social acceptance, and policies and regulations. In comparison to the US, Europe, and Asia have taken a lead role in studying the social and regulatory aspects of GH. The study shows limited focus on social acceptance, and the absence of dedicated policies and regulations for hydrogen. The US lacks coordinated policies for GH and is blended with natural gas. The literature shows that the relationship between economics, social sciences, and policies and regulations are intrinsic. The success of GH in the US will require massive investments, public and private collaboration, research on social sciences, and regulatory support. Hence, the GH rollout will bridge the energy transition, and climate and development targets which guide future industrial, government and public decisions. • Knowledge and experience play a major role in the acceptance of green hydrogen. • Green hydrogen technology lacks a value chain. • Lack of green hydrogen-specific regulatory agencies and standards in the US. • Economic, social, and regulatory challenges interlinked for green hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of intelligent manufacturing is inseparable from collaboration among smart factories (SFs). In the real unmanned intelligent collaborative production process, each SF exists as an independent individual peer. However, due to the selfishness of SFs and intelligent manufacturing equipment (IME), they do not actively participate in data sharing, which brings serious obstacles to the collaborative development of SF. In order to solve the above problems, this paper combines blockchain technology and game theory technology to propose a high-efficiency data sharing incentive method based on the Stackelberg game. Specifically, We first take the SF as the leader and the IME as the follower, and we define the data sharing incentive problem among SFs as the master–slave game problem. Then, the lower game problem and the upper game problem are solved, respectively, and finally the Nash equilibrium is derived. Then, a high-efficiency data sharing incentive method based on the Stackelberg game is designed and implemented. Finally, we conducted simulation experiments on the method proposed in this paper. Through theoretical and simulation experiments, it has been proven that the proposed method effectively reduces the impact of the selfishness of SFs and IME and improves the efficiency of data sharing among SFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carsharing services provide users with a new way of approaching mobility and accessing shared vehicles. Since the initial pilot studies in the early 90s, technological innovations (e.g., advances in mobile technology, increased range of electric cars) and the establishment of new business models (e.g, station-based, free-floating, peer-to-peer, packages by time and/or kilometres) helped branding carsharing as a sustainable yet flexible and personalized mobility alternative. On the other hand, the carsharing market today is extremely scattered, as it can include multiple operators, which are often in competition among each other. While this variety of operators provides the user with a variety of travel options, without proper coordination, this competition can reduce the efficiency of the carsharing market and, in extreme cases, of the entire transportation system. In this context, this paper studies the needs of travellers, local authorities, and carsharing service providers, and analyses how incentives can be used to align their goals. Taking Munich, Copenhagen, and Tel Aviv-Yafo as case studies, focus groups were used to identify thirteen different travellers' needs, which are grouped into five main categories: ownership issues, coverage area, financial aspects, vehicle settings, and integration of carsharing with other modes. Moreover, to understand the needs of service providers and public authorities, in-depth interviews were conducted. The results indicate that regulatory barriers, integration with other transport modes, and social equity issues are the most critical elements for the thriving of carsharing services. Our results also suggest that incentives can be divided into two main categories, namely direct and indirect incentives. With regards to direct incentives, parking stood out as the most important incentive. Among indirect incentives, those associated with the integration of carsharing with other transport services, were prominent. As part of the methodology, the results of the qualitative study are validated through a quantitative analysis. A bigger sample of the population answered an online survey, which was used to validate the list of potential incentives that can help aligning the goals of stakeholders and users. • Policy recommendations on how incentives can be used to support the decision making process. • A list of potential user-directed and stakeholder-directed incentives. • Incentives are classified into two different categories: direct and indirect. • The paper analyses three cities (Copenhagen - Denmark, Munich - Germany, and Tel Aviv-Yafo - Israel). • The results of the qualitative study are validated through a quantitative analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the use of high-powered performance-based incentives for civil servants, focusing on drug-related cases registered by the Russian police. Using an event study approach and bunching analysis, I show that the incentives arising from the performance evaluation system of police officers can significantly influence their behavior. Specifically, I find evidence suggesting that this impact can result in the manipulation of drug quantities seized by the police, moving offenders from below to above the punishment threshold. Further negative consequences of the strong performance-based incentives are inequality in the enforcement of law, prolonged sentences, and increased probability of pretrial detention. Thus, I determine that police officers are more likely to manipulate the drug quantities seized from men. I also find that the manipulation increases the probability of pretrial detention by 9% and adds one more year of incarceration, which is a 67% increase on the average sentence length without manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethiopia has one of the most ambitious energy expansion programmes but to achieve these goals, policies must be aimed at localizing the development and manufacturing of energy technologies. However, the country is dependent on importing solar and wind energy technologies. The aim of this paper is therefore to explore the challenges of locally developing and manufacturing solar and wind energy technologies, the necessary assets and policy instruments that can facilitate localization of energy technologies. This was achieved through survey questionnaire and interview from different stakeholders. The results show that the region has very limited capability of developing and manufacturing of solar and wind energy technologies because of lack of investment capital, under developed solar and wind supply chain, lack of skilled workforce and others. To overcome these challenges, financial incentives for research and development, solar and wind based power generation, manufacturing are considered as the top policy instruments with other policies included in this paper. Therefore, a proper implementation of the internationally proven policy instruments recommended in this paper are urgently needed in the region in order to achieve one of the sustainable development goals that stipulate facilitation of the implementation of modern, affordable and sustainable energy to the society. • Ethiopia has very limited capability of developing solar and wind energy technologies. • The results show that Ethiopia has low level of local industrial assets. • Lack of investment capital is the top challenge for the technologies development. • Different financial incentives are key policy instruments for local capacity development. • Effective implementation of the recommended policies can have significant co-benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Queues can be eliminated completely if incentive budget is sufficient. • Optimal incentive profile is "U-shape" during morning peak with limited budget. • A smaller budget can provide a higher unit benefit with respect to welfare gain. • Participants are on sides of the peak, while non-participants travel in the middle. • Both rich and poor commuters are participants with limited budget in ideal case. Incentive-Based Traffic Demand Management (IBTDM) is a strategy that adopts incentives to demotivate driving trips, or to redistribute demand across space and time. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of an IBTDM strategy that provides incentives to shift the commuting public's departure times so that the queueing delay is reduced. Based on Vickrey's bottleneck model, this paper considers the impact of incentive budget and market penetration rate on the optimal incentive profile for both homogeneous and heterogeneous commuters. The resulting departure pattern created by the optimal incentive profile achieves Pareto Optimality. The results indicate that an optimal incentive profile is "U-shape" during the morning peak with a limited budget. Additionally, we find that the marginal benefit of incentive is diminishing. Lastly, although Pareto improvement is achieved, commuters with higher values of time are found to benefit more under the optimal incentive design. It is also discovered that the incentive provider should promote IBTDM to the two ends of the income level of the commuters to achieve the lowest total system travel time under an insufficient marketing budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• BEVs perceived as more comfortable than fossil-fueled vehicles. • BEV ownership and use perceived as a means to engage in pro-environmental actions. • BEV incentives to be seen in relation to BEV model, driving experience and residency. • Incentives create a BEV culture in Norway with both practical and symbolic effects. Reducing emissions from privately-owned cars plays a central role in reaching targets for global greenhouse gas emissions. Electrification has been one strategy to meet this goal. Norway has been a forerunner and is today the country with the highest proportion of privately-owned battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in Europe. Thus, studying Norwegian experiences with electric mobility should be useful for those working with the electrification of person transport in other countries. In this paper, we analyze user experiences with different models of BEVs, symbolic dimensions of BEV ownership and use, and the significance of incentives promoting BEVs. We argue that the total package of incentives not only provides instrumental motives to buy BEVs but represents a highly visible, national policy in support of BEVs that has been important for adoption, giving BEVs a symbolic certification as an environmentally sound mobility choice. The paper also points to the way incentives for BEVs have different meaning to different drivers according to BEV model and driving experience. Hence, we stress the importance of not treating BEVs as a homogenous technology when developing policy. We argue that the combination of the economic and symbolic value of incentives, technical and practical dimensions of BEVs and not least growing environmental concerns have fostered the successful introduction of BEVs in Norway. The paper is based on in-depth interviews with different segments of BEV drivers in 2013 and 2015, as well as data from two surveys conducted by the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association in 2016 and 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the factors that might contribute influencing Member States decision to promote the adoption of crop diversification practices through their provisional National Strategic Plans for implementing the 2023–2027 Common Agricultural Policy. The Qualitative Comparative Analysis method is used to explore the link between key agricultural land uses and land use pressure indicators and the choice of funding the adoption of diversification practices and of imposing restrictions to access subsidies for their adoption. Results highlight that the choice of financing the adoption of diversification practices is associated with: the diffusion of cereal crops (share of cereals crops on the arable land above the median value of 20%), the diffusion of large farms (share of agricultural land for farms above 100 ha on the UAA above the median value of 10%) and the poor diffusion of grasslands (share of agricultural land cultivated with permanent grassland below the median value of 30%), mainly for eastern European countries, and with biodiversity pressures (share of biodiversity pressure indicators above the median value of 0.36), mainly for central European countries. Conversely, the choice of imposing high restrictions on the adoption of diversification practices is mainly associated with different form of land use pressures (nutrient leaching, biodiversity losses and soil erosion), mainly for southern European countries. Lack of financing and lack of restrictions remains unexplained for some MS (i.e., this is particularly evident for Sweeden and Finalnd) and apparently contradictory choices are highlighted for some others (i.e., financing the adoption of diversification practices with limited restrictions, which was addressed for France, Austria, Slovenia and Lithuania). The paper concludes providing a summary of the main findings, some policy recommendations to cope with existing shortcomings in current plans, due to excess flexibility and lack of coherence with existing priorities and highlighting the limits of the approach used and some proposal for further investigation. • The paper investigates the way how governments promote crop diversification and why through their CAP plans. • The investigation is carried out through a qualitative comparative analysis based on country level data. • Results reveal contrasting motivations behind the choice of funding and regulating crop diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural resource governance regimes are increasingly engaging various actors at multiple levels to address sustainability challenges. In this context, as a governance strategy, decentralisation – or the transfer of power from central to local authorities – is expected to improve service delivery, accountability, and participation. The paper examines whether decentralisation in wildlife refuge politics in Taiwan delivers these outcomes; what factors influence local governments' capacities and powers to manage Chiku wildlife refuge in Taiwan; and what accountability mechanisms decentralisation policies enable. Multiple levels of governance are resistant to decentralisation, due to lack of ability and resources, evolving incentive structures, and conflicting regulations in a fragmented jurisdictional context. According to the findings, local authorities are becoming less engaged, agencies involved lack coordination, and accountability mechanisms are inadequate. The potential benefits of decentralisation are therefore hard to achieve. • Resistance to decentralisation is identified in Taiwanese protected areas. • Local-level actors resist decentralisation due to lack of capacities and resources. • Transfer of responsibilities back to central agencies may compromise accountability. • Local government needs better resourcing to make decentralisation work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce deforestation and mitigate climate change, the Peruvian government proposed and partially implemented incentive- and disincentive-based forest conservation policies, especially in the Amazon, where most of the country's deforestation occurs. However, to date, little is known about the magnitude of the trade-offs between cost-effectiveness and welfare effects of such a policy mix. To explore this question, this paper develops a spatially explicit simulation model of landholders' deforestation decisions based on fines, payments for ecosystem services (PES), and the probability of enforcement that incorporates enforcement costs and deforestation dynamics. Simulations show that a policy approach solely based on disincentives (i.e. fines) could avoid annual deforestation at 2128 soles 1 1 1 sol ∼ USD 0.28 in 2022. /ha (0.81 USD/tCO 2) and a total income loss of 425 million soles for sanctioned landholders due to fines and lost agricultural rents (10-year net present values). On the other hand, a policy approach based only on PES could reduce deforestation at 7692 soles/ha or ∼2.6 USD/tCO 2 with a total income gain of 146 million soles for landholders receiving PES. Our findings show where and by how much mixing different levels of fines and PES could mitigate such trade-offs and attaining similar levels of avoided deforestation. • Imposing fines proves most cost-effective for deforestation reduction. • Adding incentives alleviates trade-offs between cost-effectiveness and income loss. • Collecting fine revenues further enhances the cost-effectiveness of command-and-control. • We use the Poisson distribution for generating deforestation scenarios. • We consider the field operations costs to calculate the enforcement probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a framework to prioritize locally suitable climate-smart agricultural (CSA) interventions and implementation suitability assessments with key stakeholders: state and district agriculture departments, extension offices, agriculture research institutions, NGOs and donor agencies, private sector and farmers. Prioritization of appropriate interventions for given contexts is needed to assist relevant stakeholders to make strategic decisions and improve adaptability and efficiency of agriculture production system in the face of climate change and variability. First step includes participatory identification and evaluation of location specific CSA interventions suitable for different crop and cropping system with potential to reduce climatic risks in agriculture. All CSA interventions were evaluated based on their contribution to increase farm productivity and income, building resilience to changing climate and reduction of agricultural emissions. Second step includes evaluation of overall implementation feasibility of selected CSA interventions based on their technical feasibility, cost of implementation, inclusivity and synergy with current government programs. In the third step, potential barriers of CSA technology adoption were assessed linking with availability of resources, farmers' knowledge and acceptability, access to agriculture extensions service, market and government support. In the fourth step, incentive mechanisms to promote CSA interventions such as government subsidy, market linkage, provision of loan and capacity building were evaluated with farmers and key stakeholders. Finally, this prioritization framework assessed the role of different organizations such as the government, private sector, non-government organizations, custom hiring centers and community based organizations in promoting CSA interventions at the local level. Results show that this framework provides ample space for local stakeholders to integrate their knowledge and experience on CSA interventions in prioritization and investment planning. Stakeholders prioritized mainly water and nutrient management technologies, agriculture insurance against climatic risks and ICT based weather and agro-advisory services. This framework provides a decision support tool for policy-making in adaptation and mitigation activities in agriculture sector at the local level. This framework can be used by governments, development organizations and the private sector for investment decision-making. • This paper presents a stakeholders' prioritization method for investment decision making on climate smart agriculture at the sub-national level • Methodology ensures coherent linkage of climate smart agriculture (CSA) process with stakeholders needs and challenges • This approach is successful to identify CSA implementation feasibility, barriers and incentive mechanisms that play a major role in guiding investment decisions by governments, private sector and farming communities on CSA [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rendering the energy system more sustainable can only be achieved through a combination of low-carbon energy production, energy efficiency, and coupling of energy sectors. In this context, Power-to-Hydrogen concepts for managing supply and demand, providing seasonal storage, and being the linking element between different sectors (electricity generation, gas grids, transport and industry), has attracted significant interest during the last decade. However, the deployment of technology is subject to legal barriers, which may differ from one region to another. On the contrary, there may be incentives to facilitate market introduction of a new technology. In this paper, an international network of experts under the umbrella of Task 38 of the International Energy Agency's Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Programme assesses the legal framework in ten countries regarding power-to-hydrogen applications. The most frequently considered pathway, from a legal standpoint, is using hydrogen for mobility applications. Only a few countries are implementing legal frameworks for diverse hydrogen applications. • Low-carbon H2 can play a role in the electric, gas, transport, and industry sectors. • This paper provides a snapshot of the legal context for power-to-H2 in 10 countries. • The most acknowledged pathway, from a legal standpoint, is mobility applications. • Only few countries are implementing legal frameworks for diverse H2 applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Incentives to bypass safeguards on machinery and preventive solutions are found. • The incentives and solutions are categorized to pave the way for a future research. • Five and three categories characterize the incentives and solutions respectively. • Ergonomics and corporate climate are some aspects categorizing the incentives. • Technical, organizational and individual factors prevent bypassing. Abstract Bypassing guards and protective devices on machinery can lead to serious and fatal accidents. The aim of this paper is to conduct a comprehensive review that sheds light on the definition of bypassing, related regulations and standards, workers' incentives to bypass, and possible solutions to overcome this issue. The review generated 72 incentives to bypass guards and protective devices and 82 solutions. Some of the most frequent incentives included the necessity to remove safeguards in order to perform activities (e.g. adjustment, troubleshooting, maintenance, and installation), a lack of visibility, failures and a lack of reliability of the safeguards. This literature analysis suggests classifying the incentives into five categories: ergonomics, productivity, machine or safeguarding, behavior, and corporate climate. The solutions, which are related to the design, manufacturing, and usage phases, are classified into technical, organizational, and individual factors. These are all factors that influence the prevention of bypassing. The review shows that there is a lack of an integrated tool to prevent bypassing. This paper serves as a foundation to develop such a tool, as well as to provide useful insights into the incentives for bypassing, as well as preventive solutions that could be used as a guideline for researchers and OHS preventionists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicles are an important instrument to decarbonize transportation, offering a range of co-benefits such as reductions in local pollution, noise emissions, and oil dependency. Unfortunately, price, range, infrastructure and technological uncertainty are only some of the barriers to a faster adoption of these vehicles. To overcome these barriers, there is a broad call for public support and a growing body of primarily survey and choice experiment studies to show which policy mechanisms are effective, with mixed outcomes. In response, this paper offers a qualitative comparative analysis that draws on 227 semi-structured interviews with 257 transportation and electricity experts from 201 institutions across 17 cities within the Nordic region to discuss the reasoning and arguments behind EV incentives and policy mechanisms. A frequency analysis of the most coded responses favoured cost reduction mechanisms, in particular taxation exemptions; infrastructure support for public and apartment charging; the importance of consumer awareness, especially information campaigns; certain other specific policy measures like procurement programs and environmental zones; and more general policy principles. More in-depth, our analysis shows the debates around these mechanisms and how the pros and cons of these mechanisms differ per country, per transport segment, per phase of transition or market share, even per city. In short, this paper calls for strong stable national targets and price incentives combined with local flexibility to implement secondary benefits and more attention to awareness campaigns to advance the implementation of electric vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosument is a person who plays the roles of consumer and producer simultaneously. Direct communication between producers and consumers is fast and accessible in the world of omnipresent globalization and the popularisation of information and communication technologies (ICT), particularly social media. The paper presents the results of the survey conducted on a group of 1,620 prosumers and the practical applications of the analysis of the results. The research aimed to identify the main components of the prosumer decision-making process and their importance in this process. A diagnostic survey was used in the study, and the collected data were statistically analyzed. The main findings are that prosumption destimulants, information contribution, information channels, incentives for prosumption and reactive attitude are five independent components of the prosumer decision-making process. The analysis of the results allowed determining that subjective income satisfaction significantly influences prosumer attitudes. People with higher income satisfaction are more willing and likely to participate in the information exchange process. Such analysis may be useful for producers to help them develop communication channels with prosumers as well as better target incentives for prosumption to support such attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The regime of passenger rail franchising in Britain has been in place for over 20 years. The developments have been reported at past Thredbo Conferences, including by the author in 2007 and 2015. The franchising regime has been remarkably resilient and has been through at least five phases. Using the concept of regulatory cycles, this paper reviews the prospects for a sixth and possibly final phase. Rail statistics are reviewed and a welfare analysis of rail reforms in Britain is undertaken, building on and updating work presented in 2011. This suggests that franchising has been modestly welfare enhancing over the substantive phases of franchising to date, even though the transaction costs associated with franchising are substantial and apparently increasing. However, there remain concerns. Train operating costs remain high. There are also concerns about the costs that the vertical separation of operations and infrastructure impose on the system and there are plans for experiments with forms of integration. The competitive picture is evolving, in part in response to the commissioning of High Speed 2 and the Competition and Markets Authority's recommendations. Given this backdrop, this paper will consider some of the pros and cons of further changes to the franchising regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically explores the linkage between the economic opportunities and climate adaptation and other antecedents in cities. Our dependent variable includes the economic opportunities identified by the cities; our independent variables are the adaptation plans, adaptation actions, climate change risks, incentive types, and incentivized stakeholders. To explore the effects of climate change risks, adaptation plans, adaptation actions, incentive types, and incentivized stakeholders, we used polychoric factor analysis and logistic regression analysis. The results show that a city's climate change adaptation plan and GDP have significant positive relationships with the economic opportunities present in the cities. Meanwhile, climate change risks also have a positive relationship with economic opportunities. Furthermore, economic opportunities present in cities have a negative relationship with three variables: one group of climate actions and two groups of stakeholders. This paper also further discusses the possible effects of incentives in the case of climate change in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are in an early stage of market entry. Nevertheless, there are now more than 2 million PEVs in use globally. PEVs result in lower energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and urban air pollution compared to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). For these reasons policy makers are eager to see PEVs purchased by consumers in larger numbers. Many policy makers have introduced financial purchase incentives to nurture the growth of PEV markets. These incentives range in value from around US$2500 to US$20,000 per vehicle. There are several studies that either directly consider the effectiveness of purchase incentives or at least include analysis of these incentives as part of a larger study. The results of these studies have not been assimilated in one place to gain an understanding of whether purchase incentives are effective in promoting PEV sales. This means that how effective these incentives are in increasing PEV sales is not well understood. This paper systematically reviews the literature with the aim of understanding purchase incentives effectivity in increasing PEV sales. In doing so this paper builds a deeper understanding of purchase incentives. This in-depth understanding allows recommendations to be made on how to design purchase incentives so that they are most effective in promoting PEV market growth. Incentives should be applied when someone is buying a PEV, not afterwards. Incentives should promote BEVs and PHEV with high electric ranges more than PHEVs with low electric ranges. VAT and purchase tax exemptions for PEVs are most effective. Incentives should not be available on high-end BEVs, education and awareness campaigns should promote incentives to consumers. Finally, the premature removal of incentives could negatively affect PEVs therefore incentives should be designed with longevity in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of electoral incentives vs. selection is ideally analyzed in a setting where individual legislators are selected to decide on policies under different electoral rules and where voter preferences on policies can be precisely measured. This is the first paper to look at such a situation. The institutional setting of Switzerland allows us to observe the behavior of legislators who change from a proportionally-elected chamber to a majority-elected chamber of parliament with their electorate being the same in both chambers. Voter preferences are revealed in referenda. We identify behavioral changes of legislators who are chamber-changers in comparison to other legislators due to the respective electoral rules along three dimensions, all measured at the level of individual legislators: representation of revealed voter preferences for policies, party loyalty, and interest group affiliations. The evidence suggests that electoral incentives explain the behavioral response of chamber-changers towards voter preferences to such an extent that there remains no relevant role for selection. After having changed from a proportionally-elected chamber to a majority-elected chamber, chamber-changers cater more intensely for the preferences of the voter majority (including the median voter), become less loyal towards their party and adapt their lobby group affiliations towards more district-oriented interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future cities promise to be more autonomous than ever, largely owing to our ability of coordinating complex systems in real time: fleets of self-driving cars will offer on-demand transportation services, delivery drones will fly parcels in our skies, power plants will provide renewable energy reliably. In many of these systems, there is no single decision-maker with full information and authority. Instead, the system performance greatly depends on the decisions made by interacting entities with local information and limited communication capabilities. Game theory, intended as the study of multi-agent decision-making, is a fitting paradigm to tackle many of the associated challenges. Moving from this observation, in this paper we review how tools and ideas from game theory can be brought to bear on the coordination of multi-agent systems. At the heart of the proposed approach is the design and influence of agents' preferences so that their local optimization induces a desirable system behavior. Its applicability spans a variety of settings irrespective of whether the decision makers are strategic (e.g., drivers in a road network), or not (e.g., delivery drones). Along the way, we also discuss future research directions and connections with related research areas including algorithmic game theory, incentive and mechanism design, economics, computational complexity, and approximation algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Location privacy of the vehicles is considered as the potential information that needs to be protected with maximum care in the vehicular network. This location privacy depends on the method of the pseudonym strategy scheme adopted in the mix zone of vehicular networks. The maximum degree of privacy is required in the mixed zone because the decentralization and lower vehicular density of vehicles in the mixed zone have the maximum probability of reducing the strength of facilitating location privacy. However, location privacy in the mixed zone depends on the number of cooperative vehicles interacting within the spatio temporal environment. In this paper, an incentive-based co-operation motivating pseudonym changing strategy for privacy preservation in mixed zones is proposed for resolving the issue of pseudonym change and influence of cooperative vehicle density. This proposed mechanism uses a one-way hash function and an improved pseudonym scheme for estimating vehicular incentives in order to facilitate privacy protection. The extensive investigation of the proposed mechanism is confirmed to be excellent in terms of location privacy under different distances, a number of vehicles and the number of mixed zones compared to the pseudonym changing privacy preservation schemes proposed for addressing privacy in mixed zones of vehicular networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the chief findings of research conducted to assess the willingness of receivers of supplies to accept unassisted off-hour deliveries (U-OHD), which are those conducted outside regular business hours and without the assistance of the receiving establishment staff. U-OHD have potential to increase economic competitiveness, reduce congestion, improve environmental conditions, enhance livability, and increase quality of life in urban areas. This study considers the role that public policy initiatives could play in fostering receivers’ acceptance of U-OHD by analyzing survey data collected from potential U-OHD adopters. The paper describes the survey conducted, performs descriptive analyses of the data, analyzes the respondents’ stated willingness to participate in unassisted off-hour deliveries, estimates discrete choice models to gain insight into receivers’ decision-making processes, and analyzes the effectiveness of alternative policy scenarios. It is found that a number of policy levers can foster U-OHD: (1) public sector provision of a one-time incentive, a public recognition program, and business support services; (2) carriers providing shipping discounts to receivers of U-OHD; and (3) the creation of a Trusted Vendor Certification Program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policymakers and economists have expressed support for the use of incentives in educational settings. In this paper, rather than asking whether incentives work, we focus on a different question: For whom and under what conditions do incentives work? This question is particularly important because incentives’ promise relies on the idea that they might take the place of some cognitive failing or set of preferences that otherwise would have led students to make choices with large long-term benefits. In this paper, we explore whether that is the case. In the context of a summer reading program called Project READS, we test whether responsiveness to incentives is positively or negatively related to the student's baseline level of motivation to read. As a part of the program, elementary school students are mailed books weekly during the summer. We implemented this book-mailing program as a randomized experiment with three treatment arms. Students in the first treatment arm were mailed books as a part of the standard Project READS program. Students in the second treatment arm were mailed books as a part of Project READS, and were also offered an incentive to read the books they were mailed. Students in the third experimental group served as a control and were given books after posttesting occurred in the fall. We find that, if anything, more motivated readers are more responsive to incentives to read, suggesting that to the extent that incentives are effective, they may not effectively target the students whose behavior they are intended to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examine the impact of incentives on EV adoption in both the public and private domains empirically in China. • The endogenous problem of charging facilities was solved by an instrumental variable strategy. • Financial incentives, population density, and fuel price help to explain EV adoption in the public domain. • Charging station construction and other convenience measures significantly promote EV purchases in the private domain. The emerging electric vehicle (EV) industry has received enormous support from global governments for its advantages in energy conservation and carbon emission reduction. This paper focuses on the development of the EV industry in China and empirically examines the impact of the government's incentives on EV adoption in both the public and private domains using data from 61 cities spanning 2009–2018. EV-supportive policies, including financial incentives and convenience measures, are discussed, and a variable instrumental strategy is applied to solve the endogenous problem of charging facilities. The results reveal that in the public domain, financial subsidies can effectively promote the use of electric buses; however, the adoption of commercial EVs is mainly stimulated by charging facility construction and increasing fuel prices. Meanwhile, in the private domain, convenience measures, such as charging station construction and non-purchase limitations, contribute to increasing the demand for EVs, while the effect of financial incentives is not as significant as we expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An incentive mechanism is key to succeed the investments in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation programs. However, the diversification of determinants makes it difficult to establish one mode to best incentive stakeholders. This paper compares various incentive modes in benefiting stakeholders by simulating dynamic game models. It analyzes the profit-making of developers and landholders based on four incentive modes. The modes are preferential tax for developers, incentive of carbon offsets for developers, investment incentive for developers, and incentive of reducing emissions for landholders. This paper compares the effects of incentive modes on benefit distribution of stakeholders and contributes to a new dynamic game framework. The results show that: (i) the effects of incentives of carbon offsets for developers and incentives of reducing emissions for landholders are almost same for the stakeholders; (ii) a preferential tax can only make developers unilaterally benefit, and will not change landholder welfare; (iii) investment incentives for developers can make landholders' profits be increased, while the effects of incentives on developers' profits are uncertain. Finally, the numerical simulation is used to verify these hypotheses. The core implication is that for the design of REDD+ incentives, the government should combine various incentive modes to fulfill different objectives in policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it has been established in previous research that public support for air services to peripheral or economically underdeveloped regions is justifiable, the current EU Public Service Obligation (PSO) air service mechanism and particularly, the level of competition for PSO contracts, can be improved. This paper sets out to identify best practice for PSO contract sponsors by viewing issues from an air operator perspective. The heart of this paper is a survey of European regional airlines. We examine the airline managers' perspectives in relation to assessing and bidding for PSOs on scheduled air services. Possible areas for improvement include issues around the dissemination of PSO opportunities in the single market, adequate response times for proposal preparation/submission and preparing for the service launch date as well as incentives to develop the air service during the contract period in terms of revenue and patronage. We also highlight issues related to entry barriers, risk sharing, transparency and effectiveness of PSO contract awarding procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Non-participation in collective activities was a dominant strategy in the Lake Naivasha basin. • Choice of decision to participate was significantly influenced by expected benefits, human capital and labour endowments. • Informal sanctions, norms of trust and attitudes/perceptions significantly and positively correlated with participation. The fact that agriculture is associated with negative external effects on ecosystems is of great concern. Most of these agri-environmental externalities are public goods in nature and therefore solving them through conventional market and regulation tools is challenging. Collective action has been identified as an option in dealing with externalities emanating from activities touching on agriculture and the environment especially in circumstances where markets and government regulation are not effective. In this paper, we assess the potential for collective action in addressing agri-environmental externalities. The study achieves this objective using cross-sectional household survey data collected from 307 households in the Lake Naivasha basin, Kenya. Results indicate that non-participation in collective action initiatives is a dominant strategy in the Lake Naivasha basin. The study also identifies factors that influence the probability of participating and therefore could be catalysts to encourage participation. Such factors include expected private incentives, labour endowments and agricultural commercialization. Positive perceptions and attitudes, the presence of social sanctions and norms of trust were also found to significantly influence participation. To deal with agri-environmental challenges through collective action, policy needs to focus on facilitating selective incentives, awareness creation and embracing local participation in resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Tobacco harm reduction involves advocating the use of a less harmful alternative to smoking for those users who are unwilling or unable to quit. The net effect of such an approach is unclear as it may create opposing incentives. Although some smokers may substitute toward this less harmful alternative, it may reduce the incentive to quit by undermining public health efforts and may act as a gateway to smoking. This research paper aims to answer the question: Does the availability of a less harmful alternative to smoking lead to cessation? To explore the opposing incentives created by a harm reduction approach to smoking cessation, I focus on the role of snus, a popular smokeless tobacco product in Scandinavia that is widely used in Sweden. Methods This paper exploits a quasi-natural experiment to examine the net effect resulting from these opposing incentives. While two Scandinavian countries, Sweden and Finland, joined the European Union (EU) in 1995, Finland was subject to a pre-existing EU ban on oral tobacco products while Sweden received an exemption. A difference in differences framework is used to estimate the change in the smoking rate in Finland due to the implementation of the ban. A secondary analysis uses Finnish smoking data to test for a structural break in trend. Results In the post-ban period, smoking was 3.47 percentage points higher in Finland relative to what it would have been in the absence of the ban. Conclusion The availability of snus, a less harmful alternative to smoking, appears to have had a positive impact (reduction) on the smoking rate. Offering acceptable alternatives to cigarettes is critical in reducing smoking prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global biofuel consumption has been growing in recent years as different countries worldwide have been exploring alternatives and complements to gasoline and diesel fuel for transport. This is due to a hike in oil prices and their increasing volatility as well as both a high dependence of the transport sector on oil and also because, arguably, the supply chain of biofuels emits less CO 2 than that of fossil fuels. Biofuels have been available around the world for a while, with the aid of some government support. Brazil pioneered this renewable solution for transport, from the early 1930s, as the country had little access to local fuels, while oil and other alternatives became more expensive. Biofuels are currently widely considered as part of the solution to affordable fuels for transport. This paper makes use of a system dynamics model to analyse the current leading policies aiming at increasing the penetration of biofuels. In this context, and given multiple uncertainties that include technology evolution and fuel prices, scenario analysis has been considered for the examination of different, extreme, though plausible, futures. Simulations, under extreme scenarios, helped in assessing the possibility of removing incentives (that is, leaving decisions to an open market) and a partial reduction of subsidies. This paper concludes that for the case of Colombia, the potential of biofuels seems promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The market for solar energy in the US has grown exponentially due to increased consumer demand resulting from price reduction via economies of scale, technological progress, and a variety of incentives from federal and state governments as well as utility companies. The installation of solar power in Tennessee has more than doubled each year from 2009 to 2011. In this paper, we focus on the behavior of the Tennessee Solar Value Chain (TNSVC) to study the factors that influence growth of solar industry in the state. The impact of existing incentives on the TNSVC is analyzed. The TNSVC is simulated based on inputs from on-site survey to estimate economic impact in terms of the number of jobs added and the tax revenue generated in the state. In addition, a sensitivity analysis for the impact on the TNSVC under different policies those may be adopted by the state of Tennessee in the future is conducted. This paper employs a holistic model which can predict PV installation demand, understand solar value chain capacity, and estimate the revenue generation. It should be noted that the method employed in this study is not unique to the solar energy industry in Tennessee. The data utilized in this study is a combination of public domain information and surveys of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and installers. This makes the model in this paper flexible enough to be applied to assess the solar value chain in other state or country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Make an initial attempt to utilize a meeting model to characterize the vacant car-passenger dynamic matching properties. • Simultaneously consider surge pricing, commission rate, and incentives for passengers/drivers. • Optimize different operational strategies for different goals, e.g., platform revenue, and social welfare. • Develop an effective non-myopic algorithm based on approximate dynamic programming (ADP). • Numerical results show that a broader range of surge pricing and commission rate and the introduction of incentives are helpful to achieve better optimization results. On-demand ride services reshape urban transportation systems, human mobility, and travelers' mode choice behavior. Compared to the traditional street-hailing taxi, an on-demand ride services platform analyzes ride requests of passengers and coordinates real-time supply and demand with dynamic operational strategies in the ride-sourcing market. To test the impact of dynamic optimization strategies on the ride-sourcing market, this paper proposes a dynamic vacant car-passenger meeting model. In this model, the accumulative arrival rate and departure rate of passengers and vacant cars determine the waiting number of passengers and vacant cars, while the waiting number of passengers and vacant cars in turn influence the meeting rate (which equals to the departure rate of both passengers and vacant cars). The departure rate means the rate at which passengers and vacant cars match up and start a paid trip. Compared with classic equilibrium models, this model can be utilized to characterize the influence of short-term variances and disturbances of current demand and supply (i.e., arrival rates of passengers and vacant cars) on the waiting numbers of passengers and vacant cars. Using the proposed meeting model, we optimize dynamic strategies under two objective functions, i.e., platform revenue maximization, and social welfare maximization, while the driver's profit is guaranteed above a certain level. We also propose an algorithm based on approximate dynamic programming (ADP) to solve the sequential dynamic optimization problem. The results show that our algorithm can effectively improve the objective function of the multi-period problem, compared with the myopic algorithm. A broader range of surge pricing and commission rate and the introduction of incentives are helpful to achieve better optimization results. The dynamic optimization strategies help the on-demand ride services platform efficiently adjust supply and demand resources and achieve specific optimization goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the effects of various audit regimes used by a gatekeeper, differing in the degree of enforcement and the presence of performance incentives, on behavior of care providers filing applications for providing long-term care services to patients. We present evidence from a large-scale field experiment in the Dutch market for long-term care. We find that increasing enforcement reduces the number of applications and that introducing performance incentives reduces this even further. Finally, we find detrimental effects on audit approval rates, but we provide some results showing that assessors are less strict when audits do not have direct implications. This implies that an audit regime with performance incentives can support policy makers, who are faced with the trade-off between providing services quickly and efficient spending of public resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, passenger incentives have increasingly been used in Swedish public bus transport to increase ridership by introducing passenger incentive contracts. In 2015, half of all active contracts were of this type. In those contracts, operator revenue comprises production-related revenue and a per-passenger–based incentive payment. Using rich passenger data, this paper analyses whether the ridership increase in the Skåne region can be attributed to the introduction of this contract type. The results cannot prove that passenger incentive contracts have increased ridership more than traditional gross-cost contracts. This is probably because both the per-passenger payment and operator freedom to adjust traffic provision are too low. While simulation studies have previously shown that higher payments and freedoms would increase bus ridership, it is unclear whether public transport authorities should leave the freedom to adjust traffic provision to operators, given the authorities' social welfare responsibility. Instead, factors outside the contract, such as car-restricting measures and improved bus road space, might be more effective in increasing the number of passengers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developed an integrated and personalized traveler information and incentive scheme. • Developed an empirical model to quantify the personalized monetary incentives. • The scheme integrated behavioral modeling and optimization of incentive allocation. • Demonstrated the effectiveness of control in a large-scale transportation system. Recently, the employment of different types of incentives in transportation systems to form advanced transportation congestion management solutions has garnered significant attention. Instead of using presumed or fixed-amount incentives, this paper develops an integrated and personalized traveler information and incentive scheme to incentivize toward a more energy-efficient travel and mobility decisions. We have developed a behavior research and empirical modeling system to quantify the personalized monetary incentives. Then, it is integrated with a control optimizer for optimized incentive allocation. This scheme innovatively integrates behavioral modeling and optimization for travel incentive design. Through a demonstrative case study for a large-scale transportation system in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore regions, the capability of the proposed scheme is highlighted with significant system-level energy savings, reasonable insights on individual travel behavior responses, as well as superior computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how within-match variation in incentives affects the performance of darts players. The game of darts offers an attractive naturally occurring research setting, because performance can be observed at the individual level and without obscuring effects of risk considerations and behavior of others. We analyze four data sets covering a total of 29,381 darts matches of professional, amateur, and youth players. We find that amateur and youth players display a sizable performance decrease at decisive moments. Professional players appear less susceptible of such choking under pressure. Our results speak to a growing literature on the limits of increasing incentives as a recipe for better performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-smart Agriculture (CSA) represents a commonly accepted term in referring to intended changes in agriculture production addressing climate change. Although specific definitions may vary, CSA is typically conceived as having three pillars, namely Adaptation, Food Security and Mitigation. These three pillars as such, however, do not suffice for assessing scaling potentials of different CSA technologies as several other drivers may accelerate or impede large-scale adoption. This paper introduces a systematic approach for a comparative assessment of technology-specific scaling potentials distinguishing among three clusters of criteria. The ranking system requires scoring of CSA technologies by different stakeholder groups, namely farmers and extension workers/policy makers as well as research-based scoring. These scored values are then incorporated into a formula for calculating technology-specific ranking indices. This procedure also includes weighting factors to account for high and low significance of individual criteria for CSA scaling. The entire scoring procedure is illustrated through the case of a Climate-smart Village in Laos which is dominated by rainfed rice with low resource inputs. Improvements of rice varieties and seed systems clearly emerged as the most promising CSA intervention. Ideally, seeds used by farmers should (i) be a drought-tolerant rice variety and (ii) have better quality in terms of seed vigor and purity. Finally, the article discusses the applicability and versatility of this ranking system for other land use systems. • Introducing systematic approach for ranking scaling potentials of CSA technologies. • Distinguishing among 3 clusters of Core, Performance and Leverage Criteria Scaling. • Scoring of technologies by different stakeholders and by research review. • Illustration through Climate-smart Village in Laos dominated by rainfed rice. • Need for consideration of different contexts, purposes and scales of CSA ranking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely used performance-based contracts put (positive or negative) externalities on co-workers. These externalities have been proven to shape an organization's working climate especially when workers exhibit social preferences. However, it is a priori unclear whether a more friendly or a more competitive working environment should be encouraged. In this paper, we develop a theoretical model in which a self-interested principal has to motivate a set of agents to work hard. Agents are symmetric, potentially risk-averse, and exhibit reciprocity concerns towards each other. We show that the principal reduces the cost of achieving high effort provision by designing a psychological gift-exchange game, thereby replacing monetary with psychological incentives. We find that the optimal incentive scheme depends on the interplay between the agents' attitudes towards risks and their preferences for reciprocity. In particular, the optimal scheme implements (i) a relative performance compensation scheme which induces an exchange of unkindness if agents are relatively little risk averse and (ii) a joint performance compensation scheme which induces an exchange of kindness if agents are sufficiently risk averse. Our findings can explain some puzzling empirical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of students' within-school grade point average (GPA) ranking has emerged as a means to increase admission rates of both segregated minorities and high-performance individuals. Based on that idea, Chile's centralized university admission system introduced, in 2012, a "GPA-ranking score" variable. In contrast to other ranking-based criteria, the Chilean version ostensibly avoids classmate competition by basing scores on past cohorts' GPAs. Also, the GPA-ranking is similar to an added bonus to the GPA score, and it does not replace the national admission exam. Such design incentivizes both academic effort and GPA inflation. In this paper, we analyze the effects of the Chilean reform on GPA and achievement. Our results, based on difference-in-differences and simulated instruments methods, suggest that: (i) GPA increased across the entire distribution of students; (ii) GPA increases were larger in schools where the new variable presented greater incentives; and (iii) GPA increases were unrelated to improvements in achievement. We interpret the results as evidence that the Chilean ranking variable caused GPA inflation rather than increased learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies how altruistic preferences are changed by markets and incentives. We conduct a laboratory experiment with a within-subject design. Subjects are asked to choose health care qualities for hypothetical patients in monopoly, duopoly, and quadropoly. Prices, costs, and patient benefits are experimental incentive parameters. In monopoly, subjects choose quality by trading off between profits and altruistic patient benefits. In duopoly and quadropoly, subjects play a simultaneous-move game. Uncertain about an opponent's altruism, each subject competes for patients by choosing qualities. Bayes-Nash equilibria describe subjects' quality decisions as functions of altruism. Using a nonparametric method, we estimate the population altruism distributions from Bayes-Nash equilibrium qualities in different markets and incentive configurations. Competition tends to reduce altruism, but duopoly and quadropoly equilibrium qualities are much higher than monopoly. Although markets crowd out altruism, the disciplinary powers of market competition are stronger. Counterfactuals confirm markets change preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ridesharing is recognized as an environmentally friendly alternative to daily transportation that can potentially reduce vehicular carbon emissions. Transportation Network Companies (TNC) have been providing ridesharing services. However, generalized costs need to be balanced between rideshare drivers and passengers via financial instruments to reach a sustainable equilibrium. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of Incentive-Based Travel Demand Management (IBTDM) strategies in managing morning commutes with ridesharing. Separate time-varying incentive schemes for both rideshare drivers and passengers are proposed to maintain the user equilibrium. Since IBTDM strategies are usually non-mandatory, it is found that the optimal incentives vary with respect to market penetration. Subsequently, we took the difficulty of scheme implementation, system cost reduction, and net utility as the criteria, and obtained the optimal incentive schemes under different criteria. Finally, we verified the effectiveness of the above incentive scheme in promoting ridesharing and reducing system costs by means of experimental economics. • Ridesharing incentive scheme can effectively alleviate congestion during peak hours. • Time-varying incentives encourage drivers and passengers to adopt rideshare behavior. • The optimal incentive scheme depends on the size of the market penetration. • There is a trade-off between the system cost reduction and practical implementation difficulty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Deficient taxpayer information is a major impediment for taxation, particularly in developing countries. • This paper presents field experimental evidence on promoting registration in an online tax registry in Brazil. • E-mails requesting registration significantly increased registration rates, but adding a lottery reward had an unintended negative effect. • Our analysis of tax payments suggests that some taxpayers increased compliance, but that the lottery lowered payments for high-value properties. • We highlight one mechanism that can reconcile different results in the literature: rewards may signal voluntariness and lack of enforcement. Deficient taxpayer information is a major impediment for taxation, particularly in developing countries. However, in contrast to the well-established literature on nudging tax compliance, field experimental evidence on low-cost interventions to improve the taxpayer registry is scarce. This paper presents the first evidence on promoting registration in an online tax registry. We randomized outreach communications to over 160 K Brazilian property taxpayers, thereby targeting a tax considered a sleeping giant in Latin America. A simple request to join the registry, embedded in a graphically designed e-mail, substantially increased registration relative to a control treatment. Strikingly, however, adding a lottery reward unintendedly reduced registration in comparison to the simple request. Survey evidence, unavailable in previous studies, points to altered effective motivations to register as an explanation. We highlight one mechanism that can reconcile different results in the literature: rewards may signal voluntariness and lack of enforcement. This is also consistent with the results of our analysis of property tax payments. It suggests that the e-mails increased tax payments of certain taxpayers, but that the lottery treatment lowered payment rates for high-value properties. In sum, nudging may be one element of a successful strategy to improve taxpayer registration. However, while simple low-cost outreach activities improve registration, the use of low-powered incentives can have adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Acknowledging that Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) stands out among other renewable technologies for technical features such as dispatchability - through storage and hybridization - and its potential for higher macroeconomic impact on the local economy, national and regional governments have set up incentive programs to promote the development of large scale solar thermal plants in recent years. These support mechanisms have largely contributed to the rapid growth of the global market since 2007. While Spain and USA remain leaders, representing most of the current ∼2.5 GW in operation, other countries have emerged within a short time as very ambitious players. In our research, we reviewed some of the most relevant national incentive programs introduced worldwide: Spain, India, South Africa, Morocco and Australia. The paper will give an overview of the mechanics of the different markets, covering key aspects such as: capacity allocation, phases and timelines, qualification criteria, technical and financial requirements, local content requirements, etc, and how these elements affected competition, tariffs and the global outcome of the programs. The lessons learned from the analysis constitute a useful set of guidelines for policy makers and developers, and could contribute to the design of future effective support mechanisms that will pave the way for the further uptake of CSP technologies. The research presented in the paper has been undertaken in the framework of a technical assistance to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of India on the preparation of the Utility Scale Concentrated Solar Power Program. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Traditional power load management in China is featured by power rationing without considering user demand. However, since the 1990s, demand side management (DSM) has been introduced by local governments and enterprises in China to improve terminal power efficiency and optimize resources allocation, and certain breakthrough have already been achieved. Demand response aims at improving the energy efficiency of end-users and achieving emission reduction targets. Based on the development status of power industry and electricity market in China, this paper firstly reviews the three key development stages of traditional DSM, including management content, operation mode and results assessment. Secondly, this paper analyzes the demand side management aimed at energy conservation and emissions reduction, selecting the core elements and key processes influencing terminal power efficiency of DSM development. In addition, DSM safeguard system and incentive mechanism, including political, economic, technical and managerial measures, are further discussed to achieve the aim of energy conservation and emission reduction. Finally, this paper systematically analyzes related policies and regulations proposed by the government, and put forward relative policy recommendations for DSM development in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Marine protected areas (MPAs) worldwide are facing increasing driving forces, which represent a major and increasing challenge for MPA governance. The Marine Protected Area Governance (MPAG) project examined a range of different incentives – economic, interpretative, knowledge, legal and participative – employed to address the driving forces and promote effectiveness in 20 case studies across the globe. This paper argues that, regardless of the MPA governance approach adopted (i.e., government-led, decentralised, private or community-led), resilience in MPA governance systems derives from employing a diversity of inter-connected incentives. The significance of institutional diversity to governance systems parallels that of species diversity to ecosystems, conferring resilience to the overall socio–ecological system. The paper concludes that, in the face of strong driving forces, rather than relying on particular types of incentives and institutions, it is important to recognise that the key to resilience is diversity, both of species in ecosystems and of institutions in governance systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the face of increasing demand and limited emission reduction opportunities, the steel industry will have to look beyond its process emissions to bear its share of emission reduction targets. One option is to improve material efficiency — reducing the amount of metal required to meet services. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to explore why opportunities to improve material efficiency through upstream measures such as yield improvement and lightweighting might remain underexploited by industry. Established input–output techniques are applied to the GTAP 7 multi-regional input–output model to quantify the incentives for companies in key steel-using sectors (such as property developers and automotive companies) to seek opportunities to improve material efficiency in their upstream supply chains under different short-run carbon price scenarios. Because of the underlying assumptions, the incentives are interpreted as overestimates. The principal result of the paper is that these generous estimates of the incentives for material efficiency caused by a carbon price are offset by the disincentives to material efficiency caused by labour taxes. Reliance on a carbon price alone to deliver material efficiency would therefore be misguided and additional policy interventions to support material efficiency should be considered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aim: This paper reviews scientific work of the past decade dealing with the economic evaluation of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). The focus is on the modelling approaches and practical tools (methods) used to carry out economic evaluations, with emphasis on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Methods: The search of relevant publications was performed mainly through international bibliographic databases and science search engines, and also by examining citations from other authors. Results: The relevant features of currently available evaluation approaches are described. The main difficulties and/or methodological limitations in this domain are highlighted and discussed; emphasis is put on the needs and particular constraints of SMEs. Conclusions: From this scrutiny, it seems fair to conclude that, no matter the complexity and/or the degree of convergence and divergence between the various approaches currently in use, it is nonetheless consensual that economic evaluation of OSH needs more multidisciplinary research. Moreover, it is also apparent that large corporate groups are already persuaded that “safety pays and rewards” and are engaging in systematic evaluation attempts; by contrast, much more needs to be done to make the case with the smaller enterprises. Impact in future work: Stemming from the literature review, the paper ends with an overall vision (kind of meta-model) to assist the modelling of future tools and includes a research agenda for future work. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The spread of the ecosystem services framework has been accompanied by the promotion of market-based policy instruments for environmental governance. In this paper we clarify the rationale, policy goals and governance challenges of the ecosystem services framework. After systematizing the limitations of market-based policy tools for enhancing the provision of ecosystem services, we argue that hybrid regimes are more suitable (compared to pure markets or hierarchies) to deal with the governance challenges derived from the characteristics of ecosystem services, particularly their common good character and their intrinsic complexity. The paper pleads for an alternative conceptual underpinning of market-based instruments, in order to make them more compatible with hybrid forms of governance. We discuss the major implications of such analytical shift. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]