The global institutional frameworks and the diffusion of renewable energy technologies in the BRICS countries

Isabel Maria Bodas-Freitas (), Eva Dantas () and Michiko Iizuka ()
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Isabel Maria Bodas-Freitas: Grenoble Ecole de Management, and Politecnico di Torino
Eva Dantas: German Development Institute, and Science and Technology Policy Research Unit(SPRU), University of Sussex
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Isabel Maria Bodas Freitas

No 2010-045, MERIT Working Papers from United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT)

Abstract: This paper examines the role of the global institutional frameworks on the national processes of innovation diffusion. we focus on the influence of the Kyoto mechanisms on the diffusion of renewable energy technologies in the BRICS countries i.e. Brazil, China India, Russia and South Africa. Our preliminary analysis suggests that the Kyoto Mechanisms may support the diffusion of some simple, low cost and mature technologies which are already diffused in the host countries, rather than the diffusion of new renewable energy technologies. This observation raises questions about the extent to which the Kyoto Mechanisms at its present state create major incentives for the diffusion of new renewable energy technologies in the BRICS, in the absence of a indigenous technological efforts and capabilities in new renewable technologies and national policy initiatives to attract and leverage the implementation of Kyoto Mechanism projects to support technology diffusion. We analyse these issues theoretically as well as empirically making use of national aggregated data from the World Development Indicators, the International Energy Agency, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and secondary sources.

Keywords: technology diffusion; renewable energy; global institutions; BRICS; Kyoto mechanisms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 O19 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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