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22 pages, 1339 KB

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Fiscal Regressivity and Allocative Inefficiency: The Economic Cost of Thailand’s 2024 Wine Tax Reform

by Mana Luksamee-Arunothai, Chittawan Chanagul and Phubet Senbut

Economies 2026, 14(2), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies14020056 - 12 Feb 2026

Viewed by 782

Thailand’s 2024 excise tax reform aimed to stimulate the tourism economy through the elimination of import tariffs and the reduction in excise rates on wine. This study evaluates the causal economic and distributional impacts of this policy intervention. The analysis employs a quasi-experimental Doubly Robust Difference-in-Differences (DR-DiD) estimator on a stratified cluster sample to isolate shifts in consumption expenditure, volume, and net ethanol intake. Results indicate a null effect for the general population, which confirms that the price floor remained prohibitive for median earners despite the tax reduction. The top income quintile conversely exhibited a statistically significant “additive premiumization” effect characterized by a surge in wine quantity without the substitution of other beverage categories. This behavioral shift generated a substantial Net Economic Loss driven by the divergence between foregone tax revenue and projected human capital productivity losses. The policy consequently functioned as a regressive fiscal transfer to the elite and created severe allocative inefficiency. These findings suggest that ad valorem tax incentives for luxury goods in emerging markets generate deadweight loss. Future policy strategies should therefore prioritize specific volumetric taxation to align fiscal incentives with public health objectives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Health Economics)

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33 pages, 7493 KB

Open AccessArticle

Design and Innovative Application of Ship CCUS Technology Under the Requirements of Green Shipping

by Niyu Zhang, Xinpeng Wang, Cong Wang, Zhongxiu Peng, Youxiao Chen, Lianhao Liu, Lijie Chen, Jiawei Hu, Wei Wei and Xuesong Li

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(6), 1157; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13061157 - 11 Jun 2025

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3943

Abstract

In the context of green shipping, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology is widely recognized as an effective approach for maritime emission reduction. However, existing onboard CO₂ capture systems (OCCS) face challenges including high retrofit complexity, operational limitations, significant deadweight tonnage loss, and compromising feasibility. This study addresses these issues through modular redesign and standardization of two core components: the capture device and CO₂ storage system. We developed clustered storage units to ensure secure CO₂ storage while maximizing economic efficiency, with optimal deployment determined through parameter optimization. The work further examines post-capture processing methods and implementation barriers for onboard CCUS, establishing practical pathways to advance decarbonization technologies and mature maritime CCUS industry chains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable and Efficient Maritime Operations)

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18 pages, 656 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Cost of Overcoming the Zero Lower-Bound: A Welfare Analysis

by Gerhard Rösl, Franz Seitz and Karl-Heinz Tödter

Economies 2019, 7(3), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies7030067 - 4 Jul 2019

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5856

Abstract

To broaden the operational scope of monetary policy, several authors suggest cash abolition as an appropriate means of breaking through the zero lower-bound. We argue that the welfare costs of bypassing the zero lower-bound by getting rid of cash entirely are analytically equivalent to negative interest rates on cash holdings. Using a money-in-the-utility-function model, we measure in two ways the welfare loss consumers as money holders would be forced to bear once the zero lower-bound is broken: in terms of the amount needed to compensate consumers (compensated variation), and as excess burden (deadweight loss) imposed on the economy as a whole. We calibrated the model for the euro area and for Germany. Our findings suggest that the welfare losses of negative interest rates incurred by consumers as holders of cash and transaction balances (M3) are large and enduring, notably if implemented in the current low-interest rate environment. Full article

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15 pages, 1628 KB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

The Ecological Criteria of Circular Growth and the Rebound Risk of Closed Loops

by Balint Horvath, Miriam Bahna and Csaba Fogarassy

Sustainability 2019, 11(10), 2961; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11102961 - 24 May 2019

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 6755

Abstract

The implementation practices of the circular economy (CE) put a strong emphasis on preventing material losses in economic processes. The general interpretation of the concept focuses on closing technological and biological cycles by reintegrating end-of-life products into production and consumption systems. Thus, “closed loops” have become a trademark of circular transition. However, this limited perception fails to cover the essence of the CE. Besides closure, the utility of material loops can be prolonged, and a conscious consumer attitude may even prevent the creation of unnecessary material flows. This paper aims at proving that the preference of closed loops would result in deadweight losses in the long run. The conducted analysis ranks EU member states according to the most anticipated material flow indicators. Then, the study presents a new methodology to measure circular efficiency based on the available ecological capacity of the countries. The outcomes show that the poorly performing actors are in fact not far from a sustainable operation. Meanwhile, the countries with the most efficient material flow values present the widest development gap to reach the ideal level of circularity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Circular Economy and Sustainable Strategies)

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22 pages, 15046 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Self-Organized Reciprocal Decision Approach for Sensing Coverage with Multi-UAV Swarms

by Runfeng Chen, Ning Xu and Jie Li

Sensors 2018, 18(6), 1864; https://doi.org/10.3390/s18061864 - 7 Jun 2018

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3953

Abstract

This paper tackles the problem of sensing coverage for multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with an approach that takes into account the reciprocal between neighboring UAVs to reduce the oscillation of their trajectories. The proposed reciprocal decision approach, which is performed in three steps, is self-organized, distributed and autonomous. First, in contrast to the traditional method modeled and optimized in configuration space, the sensing coverage problem is directly presented as an optimal reciprocal coverage velocity (ORCV) in velocity space that is concise and effective. Second, the ORCV is determined by adjusting the action velocity out of weak coverage velocity relative to neighboring UAVs to demonstrate that the ORCV supports a collision-avoiding assembly. Third, a corresponding random probability method is proposed for determining the optimal velocity in the ORCV. The results from the simulation indicate that the proposed method has a high coverage rate, rapid convergence rate and low deadweight loss. In addition, for up to 10³-size UAVs, the proposed method has excellent scalability and collision-avoiding ability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Networks, Systems and Applications)

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20 pages, 462 KB

Open AccessArticle

Noncontractible Investments and Reference Points

by Oliver Hart

Games 2013, 4(3), 437-456; https://doi.org/10.3390/g4030437 - 14 Aug 2013

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 9518

Abstract

We analyze noncontractible investments in a model with shading. A seller can make an investment that affects a buyer’s value. The parties have outside options that depend on asset ownership. When shading is not possible and there is no contract renegotiation, an optimum can be achieved by giving the seller the right to make a take-it-or-leave-it offer. However, with shading, such a contract creates deadweight losses. We show that an optimal contract will limit the seller’s offers, and possibly create ex post inefficiency. Asset ownership can improve matters even if revelation mechanisms are allowed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contract Theory)

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