Regulating Mismeasured Pollution: Implications of Firm Heterogeneity for Environmental Policy / Eva Lyubich, Joseph S. Shapiro, Reed Walker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lyubich, Eva.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Shapiro, Joseph S.

Walker, Reed.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w24228.

NBER working paper series no. w24228

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Regulating Mismeasured Pollution

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2018.

Summary:

This paper provides the first estimates of within-industry heterogeneity in energy and CO2 productivity for the entire U.S. manufacturing sector. We measure energy and CO2 productivity as output per dollar energy input or per ton CO2 emitted. Three findings emerge. First, within narrowly defined industries, heterogeneity in energy and CO2 productivity across plants is enormous. Second, heterogeneity in energy and CO2 productivity exceeds heterogeneity in most other productivity measures, like labor or total factor productivity. Third, heterogeneity in energy and CO2 productivity has important implications for environmental policies targeting industries rather than plants, including technology standards and carbon border adjustments.

Notes:

Print version record

January 2018.