Efficiency and Equity Impacts of Energy Subsidies

Efficiency and Equity Impacts of Energy Subsidies PDF Author: Robert W. Hahn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Economic theory suggests that energy subsidies can lead to excessive consumption and environmental degradation. However, the precise impact of energy subsidies is not well understood. We analyze a large energy subsidy: the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE). CARE provides a price reduction for low-income consumers of natural gas and electricity. Using a natural field experiment, we estimate the price elasticity of demand for natural gas to be about -0.35 for CARE customers. An economic model of this subsidy yields three results. First, the natural gas subsidy appears to reduce welfare. Second, the economic impact of various policies, such as cap-and-trade, depends on whether prices for various customers move closer to the marginal social cost. Third, benefits to CARE customers need to increase by 6% to offset the costs of the program.

Efficiency and Equity Impacts of Energy Subsidies

Efficiency and Equity Impacts of Energy Subsidies PDF Author: Robert W. Hahn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Economic theory suggests that energy subsidies can lead to excessive consumption and environmental degradation. However, the precise impact of energy subsidies is not well understood. We analyze a large energy subsidy: the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE). CARE provides a price reduction for low-income consumers of natural gas and electricity. Using a natural field experiment, we estimate the price elasticity of demand for natural gas to be about -0.35 for CARE customers. An economic model of this subsidy yields three results. First, the natural gas subsidy appears to reduce welfare. Second, the economic impact of various policies, such as cap-and-trade, depends on whether prices for various customers move closer to the marginal social cost. Third, benefits to CARE customers need to increase by 6% to offset the costs of the program.

Energy Subsidies

Energy Subsidies PDF Author: Anja von Moltke
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351283189
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
The need to reform energy subsidies was one of the pressing issues highlighted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Many types of subsidy, especially those that encourage the production and use of fossil fuel, and other non-renewable forms of energy, are harmful to the environment. They can also have high financial and economic costs, and often only bring few benefits to the people for whom they are intended.Removing, reducing or restructuring such energy subsidies is helpful for the environment and the economy at the same time. Potential social costs in terms of employment in the conventional energy industry or reduced access to energy could be addressed by redirecting the money formerly spent on subsidies to income support, health, environment, education or regional development programmes.Of course, subsidies can have certain positive consequences, particularly where they are aimed at encouraging more sustainable energy production and use. Temporary support for renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies to overcome market barriers, and measures to improve poor or rural households' access to modern, commercial forms of energy, for instance, could be positive measures in support of sustainable development.Based on ground-breaking work undertaken by UNEP and the International Energy Agency, this book aims to raise awareness of the actual and potential impacts of energy subsidies and provide guidance to policy-makers on how to design and implement energy-subsidy reforms. It provides methodologies for analysing the impact of subsidies and their reform, and reviews experiences with energy subsidies in a number of countries and regions. Drawing on these case studies, it analyses the lessons learned as well as the policy implications, and provides guidance on how to overcome resistance to reform.The book provides an analytical framework which aims to set the scene for the detailed discussion of energy-subsidy issues at the country level. It considers how subsidies are defined, how they can be measured, how big they are and how their effects can be assessed. A more detailed discussion of methodological approaches to the assessment of the economic, environmental and social effects of subsidies and their reform is contained in the Annex.Chapters 3–11 of the book contain country case studies from contributing authors, which review various experiences and issues related to energy subsidies in selected countries, but do not strive for a common approach. They are organised along geographical lines, beginning with a review of energy subsidies generally in OECD countries. Case studies of energy subsidies in transition economies – the Czech and Slovak Republics (Chapter 4) and Russia (Chapter 5) – follow. Three studies of Asian countries focus on the costs of different types of energy subsidy: electricity subsidies in India (Chapter 6), oil subsidies in Indonesia (Chapter 7) and energy subsidies generally in Korea (Chapter 8). Chapter 9 reviews the effect of energy subsidies in Iran and suggests a pragmatic approach to reforming them. This is followed by an assessment of the LPG subsidy programme in Senegal (Chapter 10) and an analysis of the effects of removing coal and oil subsides in Chile (Chapter 11).Chapter 12 analyses the lessons learned from these case studies, focusing on the economic, environmental and social effects and their implications for policy. Finally, Chapter 13 discusses the implications of these findings and makes practical recommendations for designing and implementing policy reforms.This book will be essential for both practitioners and academics involved in the energy sector and for governments and policy-makers wishing to examine the reform of energy subsidies.

Energy Subsidies: Lessons Learned in Assessing their Impact and Designing Policy Reforms

Energy Subsidies: Lessons Learned in Assessing their Impact and Designing Policy Reforms PDF Author:
Publisher: UNEP/Earthprint
ISBN: 9280722778
Category : Energy
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description


Equity and Efficiency in the Reform of Price Subsidies

Equity and Efficiency in the Reform of Price Subsidies PDF Author: Mr.Juan Pablo Cordoba
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 9781557759733
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
This text provides guidance to policymakers on how to design and implement sound price-subsidy reforms. It draws on the experience of price-subsidy reform in 28 countries. The authors discuss economic and political considerations and make several recommendations concerning the speed of reform and social protection mechanisms. They discuss how the social impact of reform can be limited by establishing cost-effective and well-targeted temporary social protection mechanisms, and how governments can reduce the risk of political disruption by distributing the initial burden of reform fairly and by clearly explaining the costs and benefits to the public.

Energy Subsidy Reform

Energy Subsidy Reform PDF Author: Mr.Benedict J. Clements
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1484339169
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
Energy subsidies are aimed at protecting consumers, however, subsidies aggravate fiscal imbalances, crowd out priority public spending, and depress private investment, including in the energy sector. This book provides the most comprehensive estimates of energy subsidies currently available for 176 countries and an analysis of “how to do” energy subsidy reform, drawing on insights from 22 country case studies undertaken by the IMF staff and analyses carried out by other institutions.

Energy Subsidy Reform - Lessons and Implications

Energy Subsidy Reform - Lessons and Implications PDF Author: International Monetary Fund. Fiscal Affairs Dept.
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1498342396
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 69

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Book Description
Energy subsidies have wide-ranging economic consequences. While aimed at protecting consumers, subsidies aggravate fiscal imbalances, crowd-out priority public spending, and depress private investment, including in the energy sector. Subsidies also distort resource allocation by encouraging excessive energy consumption, artificially promoting capital-intensive industries, reducing incentives for investment in renewable energy, and accelerating the depletion of natural resources. Most subsidy benefits are captured by higher-income households, reinforcing inequality. Even future generations are affected through the damaging effects of increased energy consumption on global warming. This paper provides: (i) the most comprehensive estimates of energy subsidies currently available for 176 countries; and (ii) an analysis of ?how to do energy subsidy reform, drawing on insights from 22 country case studies undertaken by IMF staff and analyses carried out by other institutions.

Energy Subsidies and Energy Consumption

Energy Subsidies and Energy Consumption PDF Author: Mr.Joshua Charap
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1484367243
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 20

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Book Description
The economic and environmental implications of energy subsidies have received renewed attention from policymakers and economists in recent years. Nevertheless there remains significant uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the impact of energy subsidies on energy consumption. In this paper we analyze a panel of cross-country data to explore the responsiveness of energy consumption to changes in energy prices and the implications of our findings for the debate on energy subsidy reform. Our findings indicate a long-term price elasticity of energy demand between -0.3 and -0.5, which suggests that countries can reap significant long-term benefits from the reform of energy subsidies. Our findings also indicate that short-term gains from subsidy reform are likely to be much smaller, which suggests the need for either a gradual approach to subsidy reform or for more generous safety nets in the short term.

Reforming Energy Subsidies

Reforming Energy Subsidies PDF Author: United Nations Environment Programme: Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
Publisher: UNEP/Earthprint
ISBN: 9280722085
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
Subsidies on the supply and use of energy have emerged as a major theme in international discussions and negotiations aimed at promoting sustainable development. Energy subsidies matter, both because they are big and because they affect in wide-ranging and diverse ways the economy, social welfare and the environment, the three dimensions of sustainability. Reforming energy subsidies must, therefore, be a central plank of government efforts to promote energy systems that strike a better balance between these three dimensions. This booklet draws on recent work on energy-subsidy reform carried out by UNEP and the International Energy Agency. It summarizes in non-technical language the central issues related to energy subsidies and key messages for policy-makers looking to reform subsidy programs.

Energy Subsidy Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa

Energy Subsidy Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Mr.Trevor Serge Coleridge Alleyne
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1484366549
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 125

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Book Description
The reform of energy subsidies is an important but challenging issue for sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. There is a relatively large theoretical and empirical literature on this issue. While this paper relies on that literature, too, it tailors its discussion to SSA countries to respond to the following questions: Why it is important to reduce energy subsidies? What are the difficulties involved in energy subsidy reform? How best can a subsidy reform be implemented? This paper uses various sources of information on SSA countries: quantitative assessments, surveys, and individual (but standardized) case studies.

Improving the Efficiency of New Energy Subsidies Considering the Learning Effect

Improving the Efficiency of New Energy Subsidies Considering the Learning Effect PDF Author: Ming Fang
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Mitigating climate change has become an essential issue of global concern, with the development of renewable energy being a meaningful way to do so. Subsidy policies have played a vital role in promoting renewable energy development. However, considering the limited number of subsidies, allocating them effectively while ensuring their effectiveness is a worthy area of study. Based on the learning curve effect of wind power, this research establishes a dynamic planning model for power generation companies' investment decision-making under subsidy policies, analyzes the optimal investment paths of power generation companies under different subsidy policies, and investigates the optimal design of the subsidy rate. The results show that a threshold exists for the optimal investment choice between traditional energy and new energy with the change in subsidy rate; the optimal subsidy rate has a concise general relation with marginal net profit, environmental benefits, increased rate of production scale, and interests. Policy implications are provided at the end of the article.