Special Issue "Economic Policies for the Sustainability Transition"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Roberto Zoboli
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
DISEIS - Department of International Economics, Institutions and Development, Catholic University, 20123 Milano, Italy
Interests: environmental economics and policies; economics of eco-innovation; sustainable development
Prof. Massimiliano Mazzanti
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics and Management, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara FE, Italy
Interests: environmental economics and policies; economics of eco-innovation; sustainable development
Dr. Simone Tagliapietra
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
(1) Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Catholic University, 20123 Milano, Italy
(2) Energy and Climate, Bruegel, 1210 Brussels, Belgium
Interests: climate and ene​rgy policy; political economy of decarbonisation; sustainable development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability transition calls for a deep transformation of the economy, the society and the technological system, leading to a better life in a prosperous planet. The transition is largely triggered and accompanied by a wide range of public policies that intentionally introduce sustainability strategies, e.g., the European Union’s Green Deal, legislation and regulations, fiscal and market-based instruments, selection and conditionality criteria to drive companies (production) and people (consumption) towards sustainability. Dynamically, markets are expected to converge towards a paradigm of green economy and green growth in which sustainability can be economically self-sustained while becoming the new dominant culture. In this dynamic process, the conventional boundaries of environmental and energy policies are weakening and broadening, as is the case with waste policies and industrial strategies jointly leading to the circular economy, or the overwhelming role of climate change policies in energy and technology policies, as well as for international cooperation for development. The process is one of convergence in which economic and social objectives are increasingly important within environmental and energy policies, while all public policies embody a sustainability dimension, to the point where sustainability is seen as the leading objective of macroeconomic and growth/development policies.

This Special Issue aims at collecting original contributions on the changing landscape of sustainability policies and their economic and social impacts. A desired feature of the proposed papers is the specific consideration of the role of policies at different levels. All policy domains and areas of sustainability can be considered even beyond the core areas of decarbonisation, circular economy, pollution, and biodiversity. All the different steps of the policy cycle can be addressed, from the principles and objectives informing policy design, to multilevel policy implementation, policy effectiveness, the impact of policies on the real world in terms of environmental, social and well-being outcomes, and the interplay between policies and markets. The focus of the papers can be macroeconomic sustainability transition, meso-level and value chain transition, sustainability in specific industries, and local production systems. The papers can be original research articles, including quantitative and empirical analyses, or comprehensive review articles. While the perspective of the Special Issue is a socio-economic one, multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches are welcome, and it will possibly be preferred if co-authors are from very different disciplinary domains. There is no preferred geographical scope for the proposed papers.

An indicative, but not exhaustive, list of topics is as follows (EESP: environmental, energy and sustainability policies):

  • Industrial dynamics and innovations induced by EESP;
  • Effectiveness of market-based instruments and innovative regulatory approaches in EESP;
  • Cross-sectoral economic implications of EESP;
  • Research and innovation in support of EPPS;
  • EEPS and consumer behaviour;
  • EES implications of non-EES policies;
  • Trade policies, international technology transfer and EEPS;
  • Sustainability and green economy as a recovery strategies after macroeconomic shocks;
  • Public spending and investments for the sustainability transition;
  • Financial strategies and innovative financial instruments for sustainability;
  • Local redevelopment processes based on sustainability strategies;
  • Social equity and well-being effects of EESP;

Prof. Roberto Zoboli
Prof. Massimiliano Mazzanti
Dr. Simone Tagliapietra
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability transition
  • public policies
  • induced innovation
  • sustainable finance
  • international technology transfer
  • circular economy
  • industrial and innovation policy
  • emission trading and environmental taxes
  • environmental regulation
  • private-public partnerships
  • cooperation for sustainable development
  • decarbonisation
  • bioeconomy

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Article
Policies as Drivers for Circular Economy in the Construction Sector in the Nordics
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9350; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169350 - 20 Aug 2021
Viewed by 250
Abstract
A circular economy (CE) represents the key alternative to the linear ‘take-make-consume-dispose’ economic model, that still predominates in the construction sector. This study investigates how policies support CE-focused businesses in the construction sector in the Nordics. A literature review, the creation of a [...] Read more.
A circular economy (CE) represents the key alternative to the linear ‘take-make-consume-dispose’ economic model, that still predominates in the construction sector. This study investigates how policies support CE-focused businesses in the construction sector in the Nordics. A literature review, the creation of a database, a review of Nordic actors with a CE focus, and targeted interviews with actors across the value chain of the construction sector in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden enabled us to benchmark the CE policy landscape and assess how CE policies at different levels support CE business models in the construction sector. The results show that the construction sector is well represented in the CE policy frameworks and that many business opportunities are created when national and local policies are put into practice. The implementation of policies is mainly done via three key concepts, i.e., planning, requirements for sustainable constructions, and requirements for public procurement. It can be concluded that policies are drivers for the implementation of a CE and support CE business models in the Nordics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Policies for the Sustainability Transition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Modelling the European Union Sustainability Transition: A Soft-Linking Approach
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6303; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116303 - 02 Jun 2021
Viewed by 928
Abstract
The European Green Deal (EGD) is the most ambitious decarbonisation strategy currently envisaged, with a complex mix of different instruments aiming at improving the sustainability of the development patterns of the European Union in the next 30 years. The intrinsic complexity brings key [...] Read more.
The European Green Deal (EGD) is the most ambitious decarbonisation strategy currently envisaged, with a complex mix of different instruments aiming at improving the sustainability of the development patterns of the European Union in the next 30 years. The intrinsic complexity brings key open questions on the cost and effectiveness of the strategy. In this paper we propose a novel methodological approach to soft-linking two modelling tools, a systems thinking (ST) and a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, in order to provide a broader ex-ante policy evaluation process. We use ST to highlight the main economic feedback loops the EGD strategy might trigger. We then quantify these loops with a scenario analysis developed in a dynamic CGE framework. Our main finding is that such a soft-linking approach allows discovery of multiple channels and spillover effects across policy instruments that might help improve the policy mix design. Specifically, positive spillovers arise from the adoption of a revenue recycling mechanism that ensures strong support for the development and diffusion of clean energy technologies. Such spillover effects benefit not only the European Union (EU) market but also non-EU countries via trade-based technology transfer, with a net positive effect in terms of global emissions reduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Policies for the Sustainability Transition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Impact of Regional Environmental Regulations on Taiwanese Investment in Mainland China
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4134; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084134 - 08 Apr 2021
Viewed by 502
Abstract
Based on the perspective of regional differences and decentralization, this article investigated the impact of environmental regulations on Taiwanese investment in mainland China from theoretical and empirical perspectives, and analyzed whether local governments are competing to lower environmental standards to attract Taiwanese investment [...] Read more.
Based on the perspective of regional differences and decentralization, this article investigated the impact of environmental regulations on Taiwanese investment in mainland China from theoretical and empirical perspectives, and analyzed whether local governments are competing to lower environmental standards to attract Taiwanese investment so as to maintain their comparative advantages. This paper constructed a theoretical model through a two-stage game model. With the panel data of each province in Mainland China from 2006 to 2016, the theoretical propositions were empirically tested through the system GMM estimation method. The results show that the environmental regulation policies adopted by the local governments in the mainland have a significant inhibitory effect on the investment volume of Taiwan-funded enterprises, and the interaction between environmental regulations and local tax burden levels also has a negative effect on Taiwanese investment. Local governments have the motive to reduce environmental regulations to attract investment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Policies for the Sustainability Transition)
Back to TopTop