Category Archives: Environmental Economics

Let It Rain

Posted on January 26, 2010 by andrewleigh

I have a new ANU working paper out, titled ‘Precipitation, Profits, and Pile-Ups’.* It arose from an ongoing debate with my wife. She loves it when it rains. I’m normally a bit grumpy about rain. So when she rejoiced about … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Economics | 2 Comments

Petrol Taxes and Global Warming

Posted on April 13, 2009 by andrewleigh

We have good evidence that petrol consumption responds to prices, but according to new research from the University of Michigan, the impact of petrol taxes on carbon emissions is pretty small. Here’s the abstract: Estimating the Effect of a Gasoline … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Economics | 3 Comments

Message to the Coalition: people respond to incentives

Posted on June 9, 2008 by andrewleigh

I was listening the other day to Tony Abbott claiming that the price elasticity of petrol is zero (Joshua Gans quotes the Coalition’s Greg Hunt making the same claim). It was perhaps the first time that I had heard a … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian Politics, Environmental Economics | 17 Comments

Starry Starry Night

Posted on March 30, 2008 by andrewleigh

8pm last night featured a conversation in our house that may have resonated elsewhere: Spouse: OK, 8pm, time to turn off the lights and put on candles. Me: But we have energy-saving bulbs, so surely the candles produce more carbon … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Economics | 7 Comments

Water Talker

Posted on December 1, 2007 by andrewleigh

At the ANU Economics Showcase this week, the penultimate paper was by Quentin Grafton, who has put together an extremely compelling powerpoint presentation on why prices beat rationing when it comes to water. It occurred to me that this “raise … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Economics | 2 Comments

And all the boards did shrink

Posted on November 8, 2007 by andrewleigh

Every now and then, some crazy economist will come along and argue that if we really want to limit water use, we should scrap quantity controls, put up the price, and compensate low-income households. Of course, this only works if … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Economics | 13 Comments

Open Agenda

Posted on November 5, 2007 by andrewleigh

The ANU’s economics policy journal, Agenda, has recently gone open-access. The latest issue includes Boyd Hunter on Indigenous policy, and a three-way discussion on global warming (complete with three-way rebuttal) between Warwick McKibbin, John Quiggin, and Alex Robson.

Posted in Environmental Economics, Indigenous Policy | 1 Comment

The Milk Shortage

Posted on May 15, 2007 by andrewleigh

Once upon a time, there was a government that thought that milk was very important to human dignity. So they decided that milk should be very cheap, and ordered that it be sold for no more than 10 cents per … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian Politics, Environmental Economics | 22 Comments

The grass is greener

Posted on April 30, 2007 by andrewleigh

Labor’s HECS-for-watertanks plan has drawn some bouquets and brickbats in today’s press (it seems that if you talk about money and water, you can’t help but get media coverage). But I couldn’t help noticing that two of my fellow Ozeconbloggers … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian Politics, Environmental Economics | 5 Comments

Saving the forests, one leaflet at a time

Posted on April 27, 2007 by andrewleigh

Our ‘no junk mail’ sticker tends to stop most unsolicited mail, but occasionally someone ignores it. In a neat irony, I opened the mailbox today to discover a leaflet from the Greens’ candidate for the Senate, Kerrie Tucker.

Posted in Australian Politics, Environmental Economics | 9 Comments

Wetter cities, drier (but richer) rural areas

Posted on February 12, 2007 by andrewleigh

John Quiggin has a terrific CEDA report out today. From the executive summary: Replacing city water restrictions with higher prices in the long term will encourage people to invest in water-saving technologies, find other ways to use less water, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Economics | 8 Comments