Breaking Circular Economy Barriers

PublikationArtikel (med peer review)
barriers, Circular economy, markets, miljö, Miljöekonomi, recycling, sustainability

Sammanfattning

Despite high estimated gains of a circular economy implementation, progress on the macro, meso and micro level is sluggish. The purpose of this paper is to examine, from a theoretical economics perspective, how four barriers – technological, market, institutional and cultural – can prevent the implementation of a circular economy. The barriers that currently hinder a circular economy from developing are identified and a mapping of these barriers is performed to understand how they are interdependent and entangled. The conclusion is that even small barriers could stop the emergence of a circular economy. Even though a circular economy is different from our traditional “linear” economy, the theoretical analysis in this paper gives no reason to believe that a circular economy will not follow the same rules as a traditional economy. There will be property rights, rule of law and price signals guiding the economy. If some of the essential parts of a market are lacking, a weaker circular economy than otherwise possible will materialize.

Grafström, J. & Aasma, S. (2021). Breaking Circular Economy Barriers. Journal of Cleaner Production, 292.


Liknande innehåll

An Anatomy of Failure – Wind Power Development in China
Artikel (med peer review)Publikation
Grafström, J.
Publiceringsår

2021

Sammanfattning

China is currently the world’s largest installer of wind power. However, with twice the installed wind capacity compared to the United States in 2015, the Chinese produce less power. The question is: Why is this the case? This article shows that Chinese grid connectivity is low, Chinese firms have few international patents, and that export is low even though production capacity far exceeds domestic production needs. Using the tools of Austrian economics, China’s wind power development from 1980 to 2016 is documented and analyzed from three angles: (a) planning and knowledge problems, (b) unproductive entrepreneurship, and (c) bureaucracy and government policy. From a theoretical standpoint, both a planning problem and an entrepreneurial problem are evident where governmental policies create misallocation of resources and a hampering of technological development.

Mer för mindre? Tillväxt och hållbarhet i Sverige
BokPublikation
Grafström, J. & Sandström, C.
Publiceringsår

2020

Publicerat i
Sammanfattning

Går det att förena ekonomisk tillväxt med hållbar utveckling? Den här boken beskriver hur miljöskadliga utsläpp och användningen av naturresurser i Sverige har förändrats över tid. Sedan 1990 har Sveriges befolkning ökat med drygt 1,6 miljoner och ekonomin nästan fördubblats. Samtidigt har koldioxidutsläppen minskat med 27 procent mellan åren 1990 och 2018, konsumtionen av el, vatten och energi har stått still vilket innebär att ekonomin är nästan dubbelt så effektiv. Av de 26 luftföroreningar Naturvårdsverket mätt sedan 1990 har 24 gått ner fram till 2017. I många fall har det skett mer än en halvering.

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