Transition to Clean Technology

Daron Acemoglu, Ufuk Akcigit, Douglas Hanley and William Kerr

PIER Working Paper Archive from Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania

Abstract: We develop a microeconomic model of endogenous growth where clean and dirty technologies complete in production and innovation - in the sense that research can be directed to either clean or dirty technologies. If dirty technologies are more advanced to start with, the potential transition to clean technology can be difficult both because clean research must climb several rungs to catch up withdirty technology and because this gap discourages research effort directed towards clean technologies. Carbon taxes and research subsidies may nonetheless encourage production and innovation in clean technologies, though the transition will typically be slow. We characterize certain general properties of the transition path from dirty to clean technology. We then estimate the model using a combination of regression analysis on the relationship between R&D and patents, and simulated method of moments using microdata on employment, production, R&D, firm growth, entry and exit from the US energy sector. The model’s quantitative implications match a range of moments not targeted in the estimation quite well. We then characterize the optimal policy path implied by the model and our estimates. Optimal policy makes heavy use of research subsidies as well as carbon taxes. We use the model to evaluate the welfare consequences of a range of alternative policies.

Keywords: carbon cycle; directed technological change; environment; innovation; optimal policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C65 O30 O31 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 53 pages
Date: 2014-12-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-env, nep-gro, nep-ino and nep-tid
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (75)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Transition to Clean Technology (2016)
Working Paper: Transition to clean technology (2015)
Working Paper: Transition to Clean Technology (2014)
Working Paper: Transition to Clean Technology (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pen:papers:14-044

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