Search

This paper estimates the Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) of CO2 emissions in China based on a provincial panel for the period of 2001-2010. The provincial marginal abatement cost (MAC) of CO2 emissions is estimated using a parameterized directional output distance function. Four types of model specifications are applied to fit the MAC-carbon intensity pairs. The optimal specification controlling for various covariates is identified econometrically. A scenario simulation of China's 40-45 percent carbon intensity reduction based on our MACC is illustrated. Our simulation results show that China would incur a 559-623 Yuan/ton (roughly 51-57 percent) increase in marginal abatement cost to achieve a corresponding 40-45 percent reduction in carbon intensity compared to its 2005 level.

This paper looks at the importance of CSR considerations in the decision taken by a foreign affiliate of a multinational company about the choice of local suppliers. We investigate this empirically using unique firm level data for more than 2,000 foreign owned firms in 19 Sub-Saharan African countries. In terms of the role of global value chains we find that firms that import intermediates from their parent company abroad are more likely to implement CSR. Similarly, CSR plays a larger role for affiliates that export their output to developed countries. This suggests that the immediacy of the production chain provides a strong link to CSR: Intermediate inputs are imported from HQ and are then processed, together with locally sourced inputs, into a final good, which is then exported for consumption in developed countries. Furthermore, our results show that the determinants of environmental and social CSR activities are likely to be different.

We explore whether the introduction of trust based working hours is related to the subsequent innovation performance of firms. Employing a panel data set of over 5,000 German establishments, we implement a propensity score matching approach where we only consider firms that did not use trust based work contracts initially. Our results show that firms which adopt such contracts tend to be between 11 to 14 percent more likely to improve products. These results hold when we control for another form of flexible time work arrangements, namely working time accounts. Thus, the positive relationship between the adoption of trust based working hours and innovation seems to be driven by the degree of control and self-management over working days, rather than by merely allowing time flexibility.

Our analysis is the first of its kind to explore patterns of subsidization and CO2 emissions in China's electricity producing sector. Applying data for all power plants across China and controlling for the age, capacity and location of generating stations, we find that plants attracting a higher government subsidy are also worryingly the plants generating a disproportionate share of CO2 emissions. This distortion is incongruent with China's aspiration for a greener economy but may be eliminated if China delivers on its November 2013 announcement to review many industry subsidies on its way to a fully-fledged market economy (Bloomberg News, 28.02.2014).

There is a well-established theoretical and empirical literature that shows that exporters are more innovative than otherwise equivalent non-exporters. In this paper we ask whether this is also true when it comes to the effects of adopting greener production techniques. Using an instrumental variables strategy based on UK firm level data, we find robust evidence that exporters are more likely to report their innovation as having a 'high/very high' environmental effect.

This paper investigates the technical inefficiency, shadow price and substitution elasticity of CO2 emissions of China based on a provincial panel for 2001-2010. Using linear programming to calculate a quadratic parameterized directional output distance function, we show that China's technical inefficiency increases over the period implying further scope for CO2 emissions reduction in the medium and longer term at best by 4.5% and 4.9% respectively. Our results (notwithstanding regional differences) highlight increases in the shadow price of CO2 abatement (1000 Yuan/ton in 2001 to 2100 Yuan/ton in 2010). Additionally, increasingly steep substitution elasticity highlights the difficult reality of reducing China's CO2 emissions.

The standard indicators used to compare cross-country innovation are in the Global Competitiveness Report (GCR). But there are problems with aggregation and response bias with these largely self-reported measures (Hollanders and van Cruysen, 2008). We propose a theory-based metric using Data Envelopment Analysis which corrects for sample bias and considers Returns to Scale. The derived ranking compares well to components of the GCR. Moreover, in second-stage estimations, our corrected efficiency score correlates well with standard Growth Theory indicators.

Should inputs such as bank finance affect innovation in BRICS vs. developed countries similarly? Arguably these elasticities may depend on a country's economic progress (Gerschenkron, 1962; Liu and White, 2001). Applying a combination of DEA and Tobit to a sample of 22 countries, we show how innovation (measured patents, scientific publications and high-tech sectoral output) responds favourably to private-sector R&D. No significant differences are recorded for BRICS countries. Differences emerge between BRICS and non-BRICS for the elasticity of innovative efficiency to banking inputs.

The possibility to outsource over the internet should revolutionize foreign outsourcing, especially for services (UNCTAD, 2004). Our model describes materials and services input allocation from domestic vs. foreign suppliers. Allocations change when firms outsource online due to access and competition effects. Using data for 99 firms who started outsourcing online in 2003 together with a control group (never outsourcing online) of over 682 Irish firms, we apply OLS and Propensity Score Matching with Difference-in-Differences to find that 42-48 percent of foreign services inputs growth arises from online outsourcing.

The prevalence of Internet-based sales by exporters vs. non-exporters is highlighted in a recent World Bank Report (Ferro, 2011) suggesting the use of sophisticated processes when selling overseas. We investigate the count of new process/ product innovations for a group of newly exporting Spanish firms vs. a non-exporter control group. We use propensity score kernel matching and difference-in-differences to help deal with endogenous exporting, sunk exporting costs and common macroeconomic shocks. Our results confirm that selection into exporting is largely driven by productivity and industry technological differences, consistent with exporting sunk costs. We find some evidence of 'technology upgrading' through higher contemporaneous process innovation rates.

This paper investigates the role of regional financial development, in addition to FDI, for regional innovation in China, using a more recent provincial dataset and more sophisticated panel data estimation techniques than previous studies. Two aspects of regional financial system development are considered: its financial depth and government intervention in the financial system. Estimation results show that the financial depth of a region has a significantly positive effect on regional innovation (patenting) performance. This positive effect is found to be higher for minor innovations such as external design patents than for more complicated innovations such as utility model patents and invention patents. Surprisingly, estimation results do not show that government financial system intervention reduces allocative efficiency of resources which would otherwise impede regional innovation performance.

Previous aggregate studies ignore additional environmental improvements caused by intra industry reallocations to high productivity/ low pollution firms. They also fail to consider potential differences in abatement efforts by exporting status. Our estimation based on UK firm level data from 1998 to 2002 shows that exporters are 7.5 percent more likely to denote their innovation as having a ?high? or ?very high? environmental effect. Our findings also show that exporters are 17.5 percent more likely, all things equal, to report that their firm's innovation cuts the cost of energy/ materials. Our results agree with our environment trade model which predicts that exporters amortize the fixed cost of environmental abatement over their wider output base

We provide a comprehensive empirical analysis of the links between international services outsourcing, domestic outsourcing, profits and innovation using plant level data. We find a positive effect of international outsourcing of services on innovative activity at the plant level. Such a positive effect can also be observed for domestic outsourcing of services, but the magnitude is smaller. This makes intuitive sense, as international outsourcing allows more scope for exploiting international factor price differentials, therefore giving the establishment higher profits and more scope to restructure production activities towards innovation. We also find that international services outsourcing has a positive effect on profitability, as predicted by theory, while this is not true for domestic sourcing. The results are robust to various specifications and an instrumental variables analysis.