More Birds than Stones – A Framework for Second-Best Energy and Climate Policy Adjustments

65 Pages Posted: 15 Apr 2020 Last revised: 29 Jun 2021

See all articles by Carolyn Fischer

Carolyn Fischer

University of Ottawa - Department of Economics; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Michael Hübler

Leibniz Universität Hannover

Oliver Schenker

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Date Written: March 21, 2020

Abstract

Tinbergen's seminal work showed that we need at least as many policy instruments as there are market failures to address. In practice, however, regulatory power is often constrained, making it difficult or impossible to implement the first-best policy portfolio. We analyze analytically and numerically how available policy instruments should be adjusted vis-a-vis the first-best to account for under-internalized secondary market failures. As a concrete example, consider the power sector: alongside the external costs of emissions, evidence suggests that consumers undervalue energy efficiency investments, and knowledge spillovers hamper R&D and learning-by-doing in low-carbon technologies. By exploring the potential and limits of policy instrument substitution, we provide suggestions for adjusting policies in second-best situations. We calibrate the theoretical model to the European electricity sector and find that, compared with the first-best policy portfolio, relying on CO2 pricing alone increases the policy cost of the EU CO2 emissions target by about 30%. Uninternalized R&D spillovers contribute the most to this increase, and are the most difficult to address indirectly, even with subsidies supporting learning-by-doing. By contrast, almost 40% of the additional cost created by the absence of optimal energy efficiency subsidies can be recuperated by a second-best electricity tax.

Keywords: second-best policy, climate and energy policy, multiple market failures

JEL Classification: C61, H21, H23, O33, Q41, Q48, Q54, Q55

Suggested Citation

Fischer, Carolyn and Fischer, Carolyn and Hübler, Michael and Schenker, Oliver, More Birds than Stones – A Framework for Second-Best Energy and Climate Policy Adjustments (March 21, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3561030 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3561030

Carolyn Fischer

University of Ottawa - Department of Economics ( email )

Social Sciences Building Room 9005
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5
Canada

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam ( email )

De Boelelaan 1105
1081HV Amsterdam
Netherlands

HOME PAGE: http://https://research.vu.nl/en/persons/carolyn-fischer

Michael Hübler (Contact Author)

Leibniz Universität Hannover ( email )

Institute f. Environm. Economics and World Trade
Koenigsworther Platz 1
30167 Hannover, DE 30167
Germany

Oliver Schenker

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management ( email )

Adickesallee 32-34
Frankfurt am Main, 60322
Germany

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