Saeed Moshiri; Arian Daneshmand; Bahar Niazi
Abstract
The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) suggests that environmental quality improves with income after the economy passes an income threshold. Many studies have examined the EKC but the results are mixed. This study Investigates how international trade has affected the EKC’s position. The study ...
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The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) suggests that environmental quality improves with income after the economy passes an income threshold. Many studies have examined the EKC but the results are mixed. This study Investigates how international trade has affected the EKC’s position. The study uses the ecological footprint, as an indicator of environmental degradation, in 149 countries divided into four income groups for the period 1980-2014. From the panel model estimations, the results confirm an inverted U-shape relationship between the ecological footprint and income. Furthermore, they indicate that trade has altered the position of the EKC, in the entire sample. However, the results vary across income groups. Specifically, the EKC has been shifted by trade upwards in upper-income boundaries. The lower-income countries have not reached the income threshold suggested by the EKC and trade impact on the position of the EKC has not been significant. In this case, it can be inferred that trade worsens environmental degradation.
Mehdi Fadaee; Sama Azari
Abstract
Finding economic and policy-making tools to protect the environment in the presence of increasing trade competition among countries has always been a regional and international concern in recent decades. In this study, we first introduce, review and investigate the relevant environmental policies ...
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Finding economic and policy-making tools to protect the environment in the presence of increasing trade competition among countries has always been a regional and international concern in recent decades. In this study, we first introduce, review and investigate the relevant environmental policies in the existing environmental economic literature. Then, in the framework of a non-cooperative static game model, we focus on market-based policies and command and control regulations as pollution abatement policies, and examine which of the two emission tax and emission standard policies from the private, social and environmental points of view has a better performance in the presence of pollution production asymmetries or asymmetry of the vulnerability of countries to pollution. The results show that both competitive environmental taxation and the emission standards, in the stated asymmetric conditions, can reduce pollution emissions and increase social welfare. But a comparison of the two policies shows that the tax policy, which is an interventionist policy in the market, has less positive effects on welfare and the environment than the standard regulations. Even firms often prefer to operate under a standard pollution policy rather than a tax policy, unless their emissions are lower than those of their competitor.
Javad Barati
Abstract
The unequal distribution of facilities, demand and supply of tourism in provinces of Iran is due to the different levels of tourism competitiveness in provincial. One of the reasons that can have a significant effect on this difference is the specialization of different subdivisions of the tourismsector ...
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The unequal distribution of facilities, demand and supply of tourism in provinces of Iran is due to the different levels of tourism competitiveness in provincial. One of the reasons that can have a significant effect on this difference is the specialization of different subdivisions of the tourismsector in the provinces. But because of the indirect effects and the various behaviors of local governments in the specialization of tourism, the relationship between this specialization and the competitiveness in tourism is not necessarily the samedirection. This study aimed to investigate the impact of tourism specialization (by separating production specialization, accommodation specialization, travel agencies specialization and tour services specialization) on the tourism competitiveness between provinces of Iran using spatial panel econometrics. Data were collected for 31 provinces during the period 2011-2016. The results of Spatial autoregressive (SAR) showed that besides the accommodation specialization, other indicators of tourism specialization had a positive and significant impact on tourism competitiveness. Both demand-side indicators (including indexes of tourism demand, travel agency specialization and tour services specialization) and supply-side indicator (production specialization) has a positive and significant relationship with tourism competitiveness. Not significant of accommodation specialization can be from the consequence of the indirect and widespread effects that led to a deviation of investment in accommodation facilities and especially in the hotel industry. Also, the results of the spatial model on “specialization of tour services” index show that overnight stays of tourists in the border provinces are higher than the central provinces (including Tehran, Alborz, Qom, Qazvin, Markazi, Isfahan and Yazd). This conclusion, for the index of tour services specialization, indicates the weakness of these services in performance as an advanced means of attracting tourists and enhancing tourism sustainability in destination provinces.
Marzieh Asaadi; Mohammad Mahdi Lotfi Heravi
Abstract
Biotech-Economics is a new concept in the literature on Sustainable Development implying the revision of production processes using renewable bio-resources and technological innovations. Bioeconomic activities have two common features: resource sustainability and economic efficiency towards Sustainable ...
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Biotech-Economics is a new concept in the literature on Sustainable Development implying the revision of production processes using renewable bio-resources and technological innovations. Bioeconomic activities have two common features: resource sustainability and economic efficiency towards Sustainable Development Goals. Theoretical foundations related to the transition to Bio-Economics emphasize the Circular Economy as the theoretical-applied model. Given the growing trend of the Bio-Economics in the world, this research pursues two goals. First, explaining the theoretical foundations of Bio-Economics and evaluating the transition process. Second, to provide a framework for identifying and analyzing variables affecting transition, based on the Circular Economy and on the macroeconomic scale. Indicators of Bio-Economics are based upon the three indices of Sustainable Development including economic-social-environmental variables. Empirical research in Bio-Economics shows that due to data limitations and heterogeneity of index measurement methods, statistical analysis methods using cross-sectional data are the most applied methods. Accordingly, using Factor Analysis method and bio-economic data of the European Circle Economy, the variables explaining the transition process have been identified. The results suggest that the most important economic variables of the transition include the share of investment and value added in the Bio-Economics, the biomaterial trade, and the market sentiment index. The effective variables regarding social and environmental indicators include daily calorie per capita, biowaste recycling, organic farming and innovations, respectively. Finally, the necessity of Iran's economy for transition to Bio-Economics was analyzed from two perspectives: Oil Vulnerability Index and Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing the necessity of the transition to the Bio-Economics.
Alireza Ebrahimi Nourali; Karim Emami; Teymour Mohammadi
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to design a unique pricing system (price-cap) for Iran's water and wastewater industry to ensure fair pricing for its customers, encourage effective investment planning, and improve corporate productivity and efficiency. To this end, the translog frontier cost function ...
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The purpose of this paper is to design a unique pricing system (price-cap) for Iran's water and wastewater industry to ensure fair pricing for its customers, encourage effective investment planning, and improve corporate productivity and efficiency. To this end, the translog frontier cost function form using the panel- data of thirty-five (35) water and wastewater companies over the period 2012-2017 is used to calculate the aforementioned components and X-factor and use it in the price-cap model for a five-year period, has been used. The price ceiling decreasing for the most efficient company was 2% and for the most inefficient company was 28%. In other words, in the first year of implementation of the price ceiling adjustment model, the most efficient water and wastewater company will be allowed to decrease its base or initial price by 2%, but the most inefficient company will be allowed to more decrease by 28%. It is this incentive that fulfills the purpose of implementing the price-cap model as an incentive regulation method.
Elham Shadabfar; Fatemeh Bazzazan; Ali Asghar Banouei
Abstract
The Multi-Regional Input-Output Table (MRIO) provides comprehensive information on the economic statistics of regions, with help of which economic structure of regions and economic relations among them are determined. Since regional tables and statistics data of inter-regional trade, which are ...
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The Multi-Regional Input-Output Table (MRIO) provides comprehensive information on the economic statistics of regions, with help of which economic structure of regions and economic relations among them are determined. Since regional tables and statistics data of inter-regional trade, which are necessary for the construction of multi-regional output tables, are not created by official institutions in Iran, using non-survey methods in regional Input-output literature is the only solution. The main aim of this paper is to provide a nine-zone Input-output table based on the CHARM method in Iran, and to estimate interregional trade. Regional accounts and the national statistical Input-output table in 2011 of Iran’s Statistical Center, have been used as statistical bases. The results of this study indicate that the total value of Interregional trade in Iran is 1000679 billion rials. The highest volume of interregional trade belongs to Khuzestan region is 337658, and the region of southern Alborz with a volume of 242225 and the lowest volume is related to the Azarbaijan region with a volume of 38,283 billion Rials. The largest volume of interregional trade of Iran is in the crude oil and natural gas sector, and then services. The highest volume of interregional trade in the Shomal, Azerbaijani, South-Eastern and Zagros regions are in the agricultural sector, Khuzestan region in the crude oil and natural gas sector, Fars region in the construction of petroleum products and chemicals, the south Alborze and Khorasan regions are in the service sector And the Central region in the manufacturing of metals and electronic and metal products.
Abolghasem Nader
Abstract
With regard to the role of resource allocation mechanisms on improving performance and the fact that the resource allocation conventional mechanisms are not effective, this article aims at developing a multi-stage process to explore the appropriateness of the mechanism through conducting statistical ...
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With regard to the role of resource allocation mechanisms on improving performance and the fact that the resource allocation conventional mechanisms are not effective, this article aims at developing a multi-stage process to explore the appropriateness of the mechanism through conducting statistical simulations. For that purpose, we use five sets of data on the performance of higher education units (HEUs) and conduct statistical simulation employing data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the Malmquistindex. First, efficiency scores of HEUs have been measured, then, resources have been reallocated based on the efficient situation of the units, and finally the effects of reallocation of resources on productivity changes have been evaluated using the Malmquist index. Findings show that inefficiency is a dominant phenomenon across the higher education units. Reallocation of resources affects the performance of the units substantially depending on the type of mechanism implemented. Efficiency-based allocation mechanism is found to be the most appropriate mechanism which simultaneously increases efficiency and productivity. As a result, the simultaneous improvement of efficiency and productivity is recommended as a crucial criterion to evaluate the appropriateness of resource allocation mechanisms employing statistical simulation based on DEA and Malmquist index.
