1,721,085 research outputs found
Food waste and social acceptance of a circular bioeconomy: the role of stakeholders.
No full textTo be socially accepted widely, the emerging circular bioeconomy needs to rely increasingly on residual bio-based feedstock and waste, hence reducing its dependency on crops which are in competition with agriculture/food markets. Food waste represents a valuable option as it allows for the production of a wide range of bio-based products ranging from biofuels to bioplastics. First successful experiences have shown that the involvement of stakeholders with different behaviours, values and backgrounds is a key enabler of the process. In particular, it acts as a key precondition for an increase in the social acceptability of the facilities by informing citizens and civil society organizations and, at the same time, it improves the feedstosck availability by increasing coordination between actors dealing with waste management
Solar collective self-consumption. Economic analysis of a policy mix
No full textSolar photovoltaic (PV) systems can play a key role in ecosystems by satisfying the energy needs of people and businesses, helping countries become energy independent and propelling nations towards a climate-neutral future. Within this context, collective self-consumption (CSC) represents a new challenge, anchored in a new conception of the prosumer. The present work aims at calculating the economic profitability of PV systems with respect to both household and non-household self-consumers. The methodology is based on the calculation of net present value (NPV), with break-even point (BEP) analysis applied to the percentage of self-consumed energy. As economic viability is dependent on the specific policy tool(s) available, the analysis is applied to the Italian context, considering both a tax deduction of 110% over 5 years and a CSC subsidy of 100 €/MWh. The findings demonstrate economic profitability in multiple scenarios, strongly linked to the percentage of self-consumed energy. The mix of policy tools significantly influences the results and generates BEPs in the range of 8–13% (calculated in terms of the share of self-consumed energy) and NPVs ranging from 1035 to 3178 €/kW for 30–60% self-consumption. Profit distribution scenarios among renewables self-consumers (RSCs) and policy recommendations are provided to foster RSC development, and thereby make residents responsible for their country's energy transition
Individual and group behaviours in the traveller’s dilemma: an experimental study
Full text linkThis paper provides an experimental test of the traveller’s dilemma using individual and group data. Our investigation aims to address three fundamental research questions, which can be summarised as follows: (i) claims are affected by the size of the penalty/reward; (ii) individual decisions differ significantly from group decisions; (iii) individual claims are affected by the induction of a focal point a là Schelling. Experimental findings reported in this paper provide answers to each of these questions showing that: (i) although the size of the penalty/reward did not affect subject choices in the first-period, it played a key role in determining subjects’ behaviour in the repeated game; (ii) overall, groups behave more rationally, in the sense that they were always closer to the Nash equilibrium; (iii) the reference point did not encourage coordination around the Pareto optimal choice
Inequalities under ambiguity
No full textThis paper explores the impact of risk and ambiguity on wealth redistribution through an experimental dictator game. The findings show that wealth redistribution significantly declined with heightened perceived risk, suggesting that increased risk and ambiguity may reduce altruistic behavior. Gender differences in risk aversion were observed under conditions of risk but disappeared under conditions of ambiguity. This study highlights the importance of risk perception in shaping social preferences and the potential use of ambiguity as a moral justification to avoid engagement in pro-social behaviors and wealth redistribution
What drives electric vehicle adoption? Insights from a systematic review on European transport actors and behaviours
No full textA sustainable transition towards a net zero emission economy is a primary goal of climate change mitigation. Such a transition should involve each socio-technical system, including the transport system. Adopting a multi-level perspective, the present study explores the behaviour of actors within the road passenger transport sector by investigating roadblocks to the shift towards electric mobility. The study focuses specifically on regime actors, i.e. the whole of consumers (car drivers), industry actors (car manufacturers, suppliers), policymakers, and civil society (citizens, workers, trade unions, environmental organisations, NGOs) acting at regime level. Although these actors provide stability to the socio-technical system, they do not always oppose change. Indeed, they can actively support the transition pushing a reform agenda that fits their interests. The reframing of their behaviour becomes therefore essential for the regime change to occur. The analysis involved the systematic literature re-view of studies concerning the road transport regime actors. These included 44 publications related to the Eu-ropean continent in the period 2015-2020. The findings reveal a recent re-orientation of regime actors, with the presence of factors supporting change along with those reinforcing resistance. The firsts include the role of electric vehicles as symbols of social status and innovativeness, their environmentally sound for decarbonising transport, and the possibility for firms to pursue new business opportunities and models. In contrast, the emerged factors of resistance include uncertainty in demand and production scalability, the risk of job losses, the rigid value chain, and the lack of charging stations that makes electric vehicles not suitable in everyday life
What drives the solar energy transition? The effect of policies, incentives and behavior in a cross-country comparison
No full textThe development of photovoltaic (PV) systems in Southern Europe has been boosted by favourable sunshine levels but also by the policies implemented. Europe's ambitious plans for a green transition require new power to be installed but also new consumption habits that tend to be more responsible. The transformation of cities goes through the emergence of prosumers and the percentage of self-consumption is the variable that determines the profitability of PV systems. This work is based on an online energy survey conducted in two southern European countries (i.e. Italy and Spain), in which both expectations and behaviour of consumers with regards to solar energy are compared between countries. Among other things, interviewees were asked to quantify the introduction of a subsidy for self-consumption. Interestingly, results show an average of 4 cent€/kWh and 3 cent€/kWh for Italy and Spain, respectively. Additionally, the survey allowed eliciting the price subjects believe one ought to pay for both fossil fuel-based and renewable energy, resulting in a green premium of 10 cent€/kWh and 8 cent€/kWh for Italy and Spain, respectively. Finally, the crucial role played by policies in shaping consumers’ perceptions emerged as decisive in fostering the development of PV systems in European countries
Knowledge diffusion in social networks under targeted attack and random failure: the resilience of communities
No full textKnowledge diffusion is a complex and demanding process that requires coordination and collaboration between agents with different levels of knowledge, to establish fruitful learning interactions. In this paper, we develop an agent-based model to investigate how different behavioral/sociological rules can alter, strengthen, or weaken this process. We observe that, during normal times, different aggregation strategies are apparently irrelevant for determining differences in learning opportunities. However, under crisis, there is an observable outperformance of social structures with established communities, characterized by both strong ties (i.e., intense contacts within communities) and weak ties (i.e., knowledge spillover across communities). We further test system resilience, considering interruptions to the knowledge diffusion of expert agents and the random temporary removal of agents (simulating a viral outbreak). We discuss how these scenarios may explain economic phenomena and explore the implications for policies aimed at mitigating knowledge and economic inequalities
Contagion, fast and low: Modeling social influence in socio-ecological systems
No full textThe concept of contagion defines how attitudes, emotions, or behaviors spread within a specific group. Traditional models of social contagion account for network characteristics that define the spread of simple or complex ideas based on the degree of exposure of susceptible agents to their affected “contact neighborhood”. However, these models understate two principal characteristics of real-world dynamics: (i) the competition among ideas of varying degrees of complexity (as observed in voting models) and (ii) the feedback-driven evolution of contagion complexity. Certain network features (e.g., network size, topology, neighborhood size) might favor the diffusion of competing simple or complex ideas, depending on their distinct characteristics. Furthermore, the dominant behavior disseminated may alter the agent's operational environment, thereby modifying the cost of influencing additional agents. For instance, in co-evolutionary games such as the tragedy of the commons, encouraging agents to collaborate in the context of abundant and untapped resources requires a costly and complex contagion; conversely, in situations of resource depletion, prompting agents to reduce excessive exploitation is less costly—in line with the pathway of simple contagion. In this report, we develop an agent-based model that incorporates all of these aspects
Spatial perspectives on niche empowerment: an agent-based model
No full textThis paper aims at increasing our understanding of the role of space dimensions in niche evolution dynamics. To accomplish this goal, an agent-based model is developed, locating agents in geographical space. The model is then used to show how local niches built on geographical proximity perform differently from global niches built on relative proximity, in terms of the timing of niche creation, the velocity of niche maturation, average profit, environmental uncertainty and knowledge exchange. It concludes that the spatial dimension of niches should be considered in the development of policies to promote sustainable transitions
COVID-19, the food system and the circular economy: Challenges and opportunities
No full textThis paper analyzes the causes and effects of the COVID-19 crisis, with a specific focus on the food system. Food consumption and production has not only been impacted by the crisis, but it may have also contributed to causing the pandemic. After providing a brief introductory framework, the paper presents the results of a pilot study on the link between COVID-19 and the food system, as indicated by the social media activity of selected European Union (EU) Twitter accounts, measured using an original "theme popularity" metric. Thereafter, a systematic review of the literature is proposed to identify the causes of the rise in popularity of a sustainable food system theme, the potential consequences of the COVID-19 crisis for the food system (targeting the production, consumption and waste disposal phases) and possible solutions, focusing on the circular economy. Challenges and opportunities for policymakers in the short and long term are discussed. A holistic approach is advocated, as the global food system is intimately connected with society and requires deep cooperation among nation states and economic actors
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