Ratio Working Paper No. 364: Invention and Diffusion in the Solar Power Sector
Grafström, J., & Poudineh, R. (2023). Invention and Diffusion in the Solar Power Sector. (Working Paper No. 364). Ratio.
Grafström, J., & Poudineh, R. (2023). Invention and Diffusion in the Solar Power Sector. (Working Paper No. 364). Ratio.
There is an increasing interest in policies that promote invention and diffusion in solar energy technologies. In this paper the question of how does support policies affect inventions and diffusion of solar PV technology and is the effect heterogeneous and counteracting is investigated. The policies investigated are Feed-in-tariffs, Public R&D stock and flow, Environmental tax, and Environmental Policy Stringency Index. A Schumpeterian technological development approach is utilized on a panel dataset covering 23 European countries between 2000 and 2019. Two econometric approaches are employed, a negative binomial regression model is used to assess inventions and a panel data fixed effect regression is used for the diffusion model. The empirical findings suggest that FITs, Public R&D stock and flow, Environmental tax and Environmental Policy Stringency Index have no statistically significant negative effect on either inventions or diffusion. In most cases for invention the policies had a statistically significant positive effect. Policy crowding out does not seem to have been present.
Grafström, J., & Poudineh, R.
2023
Ratio Working Paper Series
2024
Handbook of Research on Economic Freedom. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
In this chapter, the relationship between economic freedom and environmental performance is scrutinized. The analysis relies on comparing countries’ standing in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) of the Yale Centre for Environmental Law & Policy with two indexes of economic freedom, one developed by the Fraser Institute (Economic Freedom of the World index), and the other by the Heritage Foundation (Index of Economic Freedom). Whether economic freedom is good or bad for the environment depends on how it affects incentives, productive efforts, and effective resource use. Greater economic freedom can both harm and help environmental performance. It is a complicated relationship, but high economic freedom generally goes hand in hand with high scores in the EPI.
2024
Ekonomisk debatt
Sandström, C., Grafström, J., & Rehnberg, P. (2024). 24 av 25 luftföroreningar har minskat sedan 1990 – lärdomar från framgångsrik miljöpolitik. Ekonomisk Debatt.
2024
The Journal of Technology Transfer
The ongoing debate among economists regarding the presence of economic convergence or divergence has been reignited. This paper aims to dissect the extent of technological divergence or convergence among European Union member states, evaluating the effectiveness of the EU’s pronounced goals for convergence. Defining a countries technological level is not straightforward, this study examines six key indicators: (a) scientific journal publications, (b) total patents, (c) high tech exports, (d) Gross domestic expenditure on R&D, (e) government budget on R&D, and (f) human resources in science and technology as a share of the active population. Employing both time-series and longitudinal methodologies, the analysis spans from 2000 to 2019. The findings reveal a gradual catching-up trend in the inventive capabilities across the EU. This modest pace of convergence necessitates a critical reassessment by policymakers of the current EU convergence strategies to ensure they effectively foster technological parity among member states.