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Decisions to invest in transport infrastructure projects require careful deliberation. Governments need evaluation methods to ensure that their scarce resources are allocated in a way that maximises their net return to society. How can the efficiency of allocating funds for transport infrastructure be improved? Is the widely-used approach of cost-benefit analysis appropriate? Does transport infrastructure investment have wider impacts on regional development which need to be taken into account in determining infrastructure investment priorities? Do we find evidence of such impacts in evaluations of major transport infrastructure projects? Which impacts might be included in future appraisal methods? Which impacts matter? How do evaluation frameworks match government policy objectives?
This report provides insights into these key issues by analysing illustrative studies of the impacts of transport infrastructure investments.
El impacto económico de la pandemia del COVID-19 no tiene precedentes recientes, tanto por su naturaleza como por su magnitud. La incertidumbre sobre la intensidad y la duración de la crisis es aún alta, pero las proyecciones de los principales organismos internacionales ya prevén una contracción de la economía global de un 4.9%, o una reducción de alrededor de dos puntos porcentuales del crecimiento económico anual por cada mes de confinamiento en los países donde este se ha aplicado de manera más fuerte. En términos generales, se trata de una contracción de la economía de mayores dimensiones que la sufrida en la crisis financiera global iniciada en 2008. Desde el punto de vista de América Latina y el Caribe (ALC), las perspectivas también son altamente negativas, con proyecciones que estiman que el PIB regional podría reducirse en un 9.4% en 2020, y con temores de que el impacto pueda ser aún mayor si la pandemia se prolonga más de lo inicialmente esperado. En este contexto, Ecuador está sufriendo el impacto de la crisis de manera particularmente intensa, tanto por algunas debilidades estructurales del país, que lo dejan más expuesto y en situación de vulnerabilidad ante las turbulencias económicas actuales, como por circunstancias coyunturales que hacen aún más compleja la salida.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident has had an impact on the development of nuclear power around the world. While the accident was followed by thorough technical assessments of the safety of all operating nuclear power plants, and a general increase in safety requirements has been observed worldwide, national policy responses have been more varied. These responses have ranged from countries phasing out or accelerating decisions to phase out nuclear energy to countries reducing their reliance on nuclear power or on the contrary continuing to pursue or expand their nuclear power programmes.
This study examines changes to policies, and plans and attempts to distinguish the impact of the Fukushima Daiichi accident from other factors that have affected policymaking in relation to nuclear energy, in particular electricity market economics, financing challenges and competition from other sources (gas, coal and renewables). It also examines changes over time to long-term, quantitative country projections, which reveal interesting trends on the possible role of nuclear energy in future energy systems.
This report assesses the immediate impact of Russia’s war against the people of Ukraine on global financial markets, and the continuing potential for spillovers into those markets. While the war has not yet caused a number of existing vulnerabilities to fully crystallise, high levels of uncertainty remain, driven by heightened geopolitical tensions. The report reviews a range of interrelated channels which could transmit shocks from Russia’s war to global financial markets, from direct exposures across sectors, to the effects of higher commodity prices, and impacts on investor sentiment. In doing so, it underlines areas within the financial system where enhanced scrutiny from supervisors and policy makers may be necessary to manage the elevated risks arising from the war going forward.
Defence in depth (DiD) is a concept that has been used for many years alongside tools to optimise nuclear safety in reactor design, assessment and regulation. The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident provided unique insight into nuclear safety issues and raised questions about the tools used at nuclear power plants, including the effectiveness of the DiD concept, and whether DiD can be enhanced and its implementation improved. This report is intended primarily for nuclear regulatory bodies, although information included herein is expected to be of interest to licensees, nuclear industry organisations and the general public.
This report assesses the impact of the road transport sector on energy demand, CO2 emissions and air pollution in several selected major emerging economies over the coming decades under several IEA modelling scenarios. Most notably the Announced Pledges Scenario (APS) aims to show to what extent announced ambitions and targets, including the most recent ones, are on the path to deliver emissions reductions required to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Bringing about a road transport decarbonisation pathway in line with the APS in the selected major emerging economies - Brazil, People’s Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa - will require significant enhancement of existing policies and the introduction of new innovative policies and measures in each of selected countries. Our report sets out six policy areas critical to the achievement of the road transport transitions and a series of recommendations for strengthening financing for the sector.
Importantly, the report provides detailed reference to a wide range of policy measures and good practice already in place in many major emerging economies elsewhere to facilitate knowledge sharing among countries. It also places a special emphasis on the road transport sectors of India and Indonesia. These countries are IEA partners in their respective regions and benefit from an enhanced programme of work.
Recent advances in the scientific understanding of urban traffic congestion have only strengthened the already solid case for congestion charges as an element of a successful urban transport policy. But examples of real-world congestion charging systems remain few and far between. What can be done to improve the chances of their more widespread adoption in practice? This report draws lessons from attempts to introduce congestion charges.
Technology is not an obstacle, and technologies should serve policy purposes instead of define them. Charging systems are not cheap and thus should only be used where congestion is severe. Public acceptance is seen to be the key to successful implementation. Although environmental benefits and careful deployment of toll revenues may improve acceptance, a charging system should never lose sight of its principal aim, which is to reduce congestion.
The use of tradable permit systems for the protection of the environment is attracting growing interest in many countries and on the international scene. While the United States’ practice has been extensively analysed, relatively little is known of experiments in other countries. This book reviews the issues related to the implementation of domestic tradable permits systems in different areas (air, water, land) and in several OECD countries. It addresses key questions such as : what lessons can be drawn from existing experience? Why has the introduction of tradable permits failed in some instances? How can tradable permits be combined with other policy instruments such as taxes? What are the competitiveness implications of tradable permit systems? Not only should the lessons drawn from existing experience help the further use of domestic systems, it should also provide helpful insights for the possible implementation of tradable permits at the international level, in particular for managing greenhouse gases.
This book presents the proceedings of an OECD workshop on domestic TPs held in September 2001 in Paris. It provides an analysis on recent developments in the use of domestic TP in new areas including climate change, renewable energy, transport, solid waste management, and water resources management. It highlights issues regarding the use of TPs in policy mixes, reviews key elements of ex post evaluations of earlier TP schemes, identifies key challenges in the design and use of TP systems, and attempts to link the past lessons to further research needs.
Carbon pricing is a valuable instrument in the policy toolkit to promote clean energy transitions. By internalising the societal cost of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon pricing can stimulate investments in low-carbon technological innovations, foster multilateral co-operation and create synergies between energy and climate policies. Emissions trading systems offer one possible design for carbon pricing schemes. Where emissions are capped, trading systems create certainty about the allowed emissions trajectory, while allowing carbon prices to fluctuate. Emissions trading systems create incentives to reduce emissions where these are most cost-effective. Sub-national, national and supranational jurisdictions have shown increasing interest in emissions trading systems as a policy instrument to achieve climate change mitigation goals. By analysing international experiences, this report draws lessons for designing and implementing effective, efficient emissions trading systems. The report covers structures, policies and objectives across the energy sector, elaborating key lessons and questions especially for jurisdictions interested in developing new emissions trading systems. This report identifies key energy-related challenges drawn from “real world” experiences, opening the doors for a deeper examination of technical issues and lesson-sharing.
This innovative book provides the first assessment of IEA member countries’ progress on implementing energy efficiency policy. Using a rigorous evaluation process, it finds that while these countries are implementing a full range of energy efficiency measures, their efforts fall short. Pressing energy, climate and financial challenges require even more energy efficiency policy action – particularly in the transport sector. To address this action gap, IEA member countries must urgently ramp up their energy efficiency policy efforts.
The IEA and its member countries can play a critical role in promoting the Agency’s call for “Worldwide Implementation Now” (W.I.N.) of energy efficiency. What will it be? W.I.N or lose the opportunity?
The Novo Mercado de Gás (New Gas Market) reform programme is set to enhance the physical flexibility of the gas system, enable gas to be delivered more quickly, foster competition and facilitate the integration of a higher share of intermittent renewables into the Brazilian energy system. In the longer term, an open, competitive gas market can more easily adapt to a multi-gas system that includes and deploys low-carbon gases. At the request of the Brazilian government, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has been providing technical advice based on international experience to inform and shape the country’s gas market reform programme from day one.
This current white paper follows the report “Towards a competitive natural gas market in Brazil: A review of the opening of the natural gas transmission system in Brazil”, published in September 2018. It aims to share best practices from Europe in terms of gas market design and reforms, including commercial and practical implications. This white paper includes a section on the role of natural gas and low-carbon gases in Brazilian clean energy transition.
This report examines Malaysia's early experience of implementing regulatory impact analysis (RIA) to support evidence-based rule making. The introduction of RIA is a key element of Malaysia's National Policy on the Development and Implementation of Regulations, launched in 2013. Malaysia has put in place the institutional infrastructure for implementing RIA at a rapid pace, learning from the experiences of a number of OECD countries among them Australia, the Netherlands, Korea and Mexico. However, Malaysia needs to move its attention from advocacy and awareness raising to guiding and supporting regulators to apply RIA. This report's recommendations focus on the need for the government of Malaysia to: consolidate the implementation of RIA over the medium-term; integrate RIA into Malaysia's policy-making processes; and build the capacity inside government necessary for ensuring high-quality RIA. Implementing these recommendations will assist not only Malaysia's domestic policy goals but also promote regional integration in Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through supporting regulatory convergence.
This report looks at Peru's progress in adopting regulatory impact analysis (RIA). Based on an analysis of how regulations are issued in five Peruvian ministries, it evaluates the extent to which the building blocks of an RIA system are in place. The report offers recommendations for accelerating the adoption of international practices and the establishment of a comprehensive RIA system in Peru.
Regulations play a fundamental role in achieving public policy objectives, including the protection of human health and the environment, the fight against monopolies, or the efficient provision of water and sanitation services. Regulatory impact assessment (RIA) is an important tool for ensuring that regulations are of good quality. This report provides guidance for implementing RIA at the National Superintendence of Sanitation Services in Peru (Sunass). After assessing the agency’s process for issuing rules, the report provides recommendations for designing legal reforms needed to establish RIA as a permanent practice as well as training for the staff who will develop the RIAs. The report includes technical guidelines on undertaking public consultation, identifying public policy problems, and performing cost-benefit analysis.
Specific chapters analyse the role of advocacy bodies for regulatory reform, as well as competition policy, discussing their incentives and how they operate in their cultural, political and administrative environment. They should perform as powerful drivers and engines for reform, integrating the views of business and citizens in the policy process. An example is presented in the form of a case study assessing the political viability of centralised regulatory oversight as an institutional strategy based on the United States’ experience. Concerning competition policy advocacy, the report examines the balance between institutional independence and objectivity that are necessary for enforcement. Finally, the report also discusses how to interlink market-openness policies in a friendly reform environment, drawing lessons from trade and structural adjustments. It underlines the role of international negotiations as a means to harness political support, and strategies for managing and sustaining market-opening reforms.
This book provides an analysis of the challenges Hungary is facing in its urban travel systems and an examination of policy and decision-making structures that are framing the implementation of urban travel policies in Hungary. It also proposes ways in which progress towards more sustainable urban travel can be achieved.
The report finds that Hungary has increasingly crowded urban roads and rising car ownership and use. Hungary's cities are wrestling with how to maintain a highly favourable modal share for their well-developed public transport systems, while saddled with the financial burden of ageing rolling stock and infrastructure. Unabated commercial and retail development in the periphery of cities with little access to public transport is further increasing demand for car travel.