The purpose of this thesis is see if national policies regarding aimed at combating climate change could work even if international ones, such as the Kyoto Protocol, are considered to fail. The question was if environmental policies could be included as an explanatory variable for the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). The environmental polices of interest were the market-based instrument, environmental taxes.   First, the hypothesis whether or not Sweden fit the EKC theory is tested, and this proves to be the case when looking at the years 1800-1996. Second, a hypothesis was tested to see if environmental taxes can help decreasing carbon emission intensity further once a country has reached its turning point. Comparing Sweden to six other countries from the European Union show that this is the case, although environmental taxes must be one of many tools and cannot work alone.   The study shows that the role of taxes were significant, thus showing their importance for the work on climate change. It is also observed that national policies do work, while regional, or international, ones are harder to conduct. The importance of national policies is enhanced since they will be guiding countries when deciding whether or not to commit to international policies.

The purpose of this paper is to study China’s income inequality under rapid economic growth.Does the relationship between economic growth and income inequality in China follow theKuznets hypothesis? What is the main cause and trend of China’s income inequality? We usedata which covers the period 1980-2005 to analyze the overall inequality, and data coveringthe period 1980-2002 to analyze the inequality inside rural and urban areas. The derivedresults doubt the validity of Kuznets hypothesis on explaining the relationship betweeneconomic growth and income inequality in China. Also we derive the trend of China’sincreased income inequality and find that the urban-rural income disparity is the main causeof China’s income inequality.

The simplicity of the Environmental Kuznets (EKC) curve concept motivated this study of the relationships between environmental, economic and social indicators at the country, city/regional and manufacturing facility scale. The study builds on almost 20 years of research on the EKC, which has shown conflicting results for confirmation of the EKC hypothesis that the environment first degrades, then improves, with increasing economic wealth. Most EKC studies use country-scale income or GDP as the primary economic indicator of interest; this study experiments with city/regional GDP at the local scale and a country-scale "market maturity" indicator commonly used by the corporation studied. The manufacturing facility scale analysis is new territory in the EKC literature. Firm-scale studies in the past have been just that, evaluating firm environmental performance across a specific industry. This effort evaluates manufacturing facility performance within the same firm across a set of 21 countries of interest to the corporation. This study is unique in a few other ways. Including multiple scales in the same study is not common in the EKC literature. Typically, a study would focus on one or a few indicators at one specific scale. The actual environmental and social outcome variables used here are also somewhat unique. Generally speaking, the results reported here will fall into the "mixed" bucket relative to the 20 years of existing EKC literature; however, a possible research platform is established based on the possible nesting of multiple scales within the same research effort.

<p> </p><p>The purpose of this dissertation would be to find the relationship between CO₂ emission and GDP. We found that in case of the majority of countries the CO₂emission is related to national income and follows an inverted-U shaped curve. In our analysis we used the regression technique on 139 countries within the time period 1985-2004 to model and analyze the mentioned relationship and define the variables, that describe it. As it will be proved, Environmental Kuznets Curve validate the model and our hypothesis confirm other researches, therefore the inverse-u relationship proves to be correct.</p><p> </p>

<p> </p><p> </p><p>According to the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), economic growth will eventually cause carbon dioxide emissions to decrease. Is this the case in Sweden? A time series covering the period 1800-1995 is used to analyze the relation between carbon dioxide emissions and income per capita in Sweden. The empirical results indicate that an EKC for carbon dioxide is highly likely to exist in Sweden for the examined period. To take the analysis further, a cross-section data set is employed to examine the relationship between carbon dioxide emissions, income per capita and 4 other potentially influential variables in 75 countries. Only carbon intensity of energy is significant for carbon dioxide emissions. This implies that the utilized energy source is of importance, and it is crucial to separate energy consumption from carbon dioxide emissions. Emissions is a matter of structural aspects such as the type of industry and production a country comprise, and what type of energy that is consumed; not merely the quantity of energy. Sweden has experienced a shift in production techniques and in energy supply, and the energy-efficiency has improved during the past 100 years. It is consequently plausible to believe that it is not a critical income per capita which decreases CO</p><p>2  emissions – it is the “right” energy sources, energy efficiency and improved technology.</p><p> </p><p> </p>

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the correlation between income inequality and economic growth in a cross-section of 90 countries from 2002 to 2006. The controversial Kuznets Hypothesis, the economic model that hypothesizes the relationship between inequality and per capita income is an inverted U-shaped curve, is scrutinized and investigated to consider its viability and accuracy. A multiple linear regression model is estimated and the viability of the regression model is supported by several statistical tests. Based on the estimated model, a negative correlation between growth and inequality has been found.

O objetivo desta dissertação foi estudar os determinantes do desflorestamento e verificar empiricamente se a Expansão da Fronteira Agrícola no estado de Mato Grosso segue uma trajetória ao encontro da Curva Ambiental de Kuznets. O método utilizado para testar essa hipótese foi o de dados em painel econométrico. Este estudo se justifica devido à temática ambiental e ao caráter multidimensional do tema, como o abordado pelas ciências sociais. Os principais resultados apontam que inicialmente o uso e a ocupação da área causam desflorestamento, mas sem que ocorra crescimento do PIB per capita, em um segundo estágio, caracterizado pela instalação de atividades econômicas rentáveis, crescem tanto o desflorestamento como o PIB per capita e somente em um terceiro momento a degradação ambiental diminuirá. Esta última fase, quando verificada apenas pelo resultado econométrico induziria a um erro de interpretação, desfeito pela complementação da espacialização do processo da Expansão da Fronteira Agrícola. / The aim of this thesis was tostudy the determinants of deforestation and verify empirically if the expansion of the agricultural boundary in the State of Mato Grosso follows a trajectory to meet the environmental Kuznets Curve. The method used to test this hypothesis was the econometric panel data. This study is justified due to the environmental subject and the multidimensional character of the theme, as discussed by social sciences. The main results show that using and as well performing occupation of the area cause deforestation, nevertheless without per capita GDP increasing, in a second stage, characterized by the installation of profitable economic activities, increasing both the deforestation as the GDP per capita and only in a third environmental degradation will decrease. This last phase, when checked only by the econometric results, leads to an wrong interpretation, undone by complementing the definition of the agricultural boundary process expansion.

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2017-06-02T22:11:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 AlissonSilvaDeCastro_DISSERT.pdf: 1319465 bytes, checksum: 4477f75a156b9042925aa89689666c02 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-06-07T23:35:12Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 AlissonSilvaDeCastro_DISSERT.pdf: 1319465 bytes, checksum: 4477f75a156b9042925aa89689666c02 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-07T23:35:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AlissonSilvaDeCastro_DISSERT.pdf: 1319465 bytes, checksum: 4477f75a156b9042925aa89689666c02 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-03 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / Nos ?ltimos anos, a eleva??o cont?nua no volume de emiss?es de di?xido de carbono (CO2) e sua concentra??o na atmosfera colocou o tema da mudan?a clim?tica no centro do debate pol?tico-econ?mico mundial. Atualmente, os maiores emissores de CO2 do mundo s?o os pa?ses emergentes, denominado BRICS, que v?m apresentando um crescimento econ?mico expressivo e respondendo por mais de 40% das emiss?es totais deste poluente no planeta (EIA, 2016). Em termos anal?ticos, o estudo da rela??o entre crescimento econ?mico e emiss?es de poluentes t?m sido feito com base na abordagem da Curva de Kuznets Ambiental (CKA), a qual implica a exist?ncia de uma rela??o no formato de um ?U? invertido entre polui??o e renda. Desta forma, ? medida que a renda alcan?a um determinado patamar as emiss?es de poluentes come?am a declinar, fazendo com que haja uma melhora na qualidade ambiental. Neste sentido, o objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi o de verificar se existe uma CKA para o grupo de pa?ses do BRICS utilizando a metodologia econom?trica de cointegra??o em dados em painel. Al?m da vari?vel PIB per capita, foram adicionadas mais tr?s vari?veis ao modelo: consumo per capita de energia, fluxo de com?rcio e uma dummy para captar os efeitos do Protocolo de Quioto sobre o n?vel de emiss?es destes pa?ses. Os resultados do modelo econom?trico indicaram a exist?ncia de uma rela??o no formato de um ?U? invertido entre renda per capita e emiss?es de CO2, com pontos de inflex?es de US$ 2.033,89 e US$ 2.057,61 respectivamente, nos estimadores FMOLS e DOLS. O consumo per capita de energia apresentou uma rela??o positiva com as emiss?es de CO2, enquanto a rela??o da vari?vel de com?rcio internacional foi negativa. Al?m disso, o coeficiente da vari?vel dummy n?o apresentou signific?ncia estat?stica. Assim, julga-se necess?rio a implementa??o de pol?ticas ambientais nos pa?ses do BRICS que estimulem o crescimento econ?mico com aumento da participa??o de fontes renov?veis, melhor efici?ncia energ?tica e transa??es comerciais que envolvam a transfer?ncia de tecnologia menos poluente para estes pa?ses. Ademais, acredita-se que um Acordo internacional de redu??o das emiss?es de CO2 que recaia tamb?m sobre os pa?ses em desenvolvimento ? de extrema relev?ncia para diminuir o n?vel de emiss?es e manter a temperatura do planeta em patamar est?vel. / In recent years, a steady rise in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and its own concentration on the atmosphere put the climate change issue at the center of the global political-economic debate. Today, the world's largest emitters of CO2 are the emerging BRICS countries, which show significant economic growth and account for more than 40% of total emissions of this pollutant on the planet (EIA, 2016). In analytical terms, the study of the relationship between economic growth and pollutant emissions has been made based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (CKA) approach, which implies an shaped relationship of an inverted "U" between pollution and Income In this way, as income reaches a certain level the emissions of pollutants begin to decline, resulting an improvement in environmental quality. In this sense, the general objective of the research is to verify if there is an evidence of CKA hypothesis for the BRICS group of countries using an economic methodology of panel data cointegration. In addition to the GDP per capita variable, three more variables were added to the model: per capita energy consumption, trade flow and a dummy to capture the effects of the Kyoto Protocol on countries' emissions levels. The results of the econometric model indicated an existence of a relationship of an inverted "U" between per capita income and CO2 emissions, with inflection points of US $ 2,033.89 and US $ 2,057.61, respectively, in the FMOLS and DOLS. The per capita consumption of energy showed a positive relation with CO2 emissions, while a relation of the international trade variable was negative. In addition, the coefficient of the dummy variable, which measures the effects of the Kyoto Protocol, was not statistically significant. Thus, it is considered necessary to implement environmental policies in BRICS countries that stimulate economic growth by increasing the share of renewable sources, better energy and transactions that imply a transfer of less polluting technology to these countries. In addition, it is believed that an international agreement to reduce CO2 emissions that also includes developing countries is extremely important to reduce the level of emissions and keep the planet's temperature at a stable level.

O objetivo desta dissertação foi estudar os determinantes do desflorestamento e verificar empiricamente se a Expansão da Fronteira Agrícola no estado de Mato Grosso segue uma trajetória ao encontro da Curva Ambiental de Kuznets. O método utilizado para testar essa hipótese foi o de dados em painel econométrico. Este estudo se justifica devido à temática ambiental e ao caráter multidimensional do tema, como o abordado pelas ciências sociais. Os principais resultados apontam que inicialmente o uso e a ocupação da área causam desflorestamento, mas sem que ocorra crescimento do PIB per capita, em um segundo estágio, caracterizado pela instalação de atividades econômicas rentáveis, crescem tanto o desflorestamento como o PIB per capita e somente em um terceiro momento a degradação ambiental diminuirá. Esta última fase, quando verificada apenas pelo resultado econométrico induziria a um erro de interpretação, desfeito pela complementação da espacialização do processo da Expansão da Fronteira Agrícola. / The aim of this thesis was tostudy the determinants of deforestation and verify empirically if the expansion of the agricultural boundary in the State of Mato Grosso follows a trajectory to meet the environmental Kuznets Curve. The method used to test this hypothesis was the econometric panel data. This study is justified due to the environmental subject and the multidimensional character of the theme, as discussed by social sciences. The main results show that using and as well performing occupation of the area cause deforestation, nevertheless without per capita GDP increasing, in a second stage, characterized by the installation of profitable economic activities, increasing both the deforestation as the GDP per capita and only in a third environmental degradation will decrease. This last phase, when checked only by the econometric results, leads to an wrong interpretation, undone by complementing the definition of the agricultural boundary process expansion.

Diplomová práce se zabývá tématem alternativních ukazatelů vývoje hospodářství, které berou v úvahu úroveň štěstí ve společnosti. Zkoumá, za jakých historických souvislostí v první polovině 20. století vznikal ukazatel HDP a na co tehdy reagoval a snaží se nastínit, co se od té doby změnilo. Cílem je odpovědět na otázky, zda má smysl měřit indexy na základě štěstí a zda již dozrála doba na rozšíření povědomí o nich.