Carbon Taxes, Path Dependency, and Directed Technical Change: Evidence from the Auto Industry

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Aghion, Philippe; Dechezlepretre, Antoine; Hemous, David; Martin, Ralf; Van Reenen, John
• 署名单位: Harvard University; National Bureau of Economic Research; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR); University of London; London School Economics & Political Science; INSEAD Business School; Imperial College London; National Bureau of Economic Research
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-3808
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 1-51
• 关键词: technological-change; count data; knowledge spillovers; induced innovation; ECONOMICS; prices; models; IMPACT; citations; DYNAMICS

摘要

Can directed technical change be used to combat climate change? We construct new firm-level panel data on auto industry innovation distinguishing between dirty (internal combustion engine) and clean (e.g., electric, hybrid, and hydrogen) patents across 80 countries over several decades. We show that firms tend to innovate more in clean (and less in dirty) technologies when they face higher tax-inclusive fuel prices. Furthermore, there is path dependence in the type of innovation (clean/dirty) both from aggregate spillovers and from the firm's own innovation history. We simulate the increases in carbon taxes needed to allow clean technologies to overtake dirty technologies.