In this contribution we propose to use revenues from environmental taxes within each sector to reduce wage taxes. Such a recycling scheme enhances the political feasibility of environmental taxes since no inter-sectoral transfers take place. Furthermore, we show that this proposal will lessen the distortion of efficiency in production compared to a sectoral differentiation of energy taxes. This result holds provided the cost share for energy in all sectors is smaller than for labor.
Vor dem Hintergrund der Integration Polens in die Europäische Union (EU) werden in der vorliegenden Arbeit die Auswirkungen verschiedener agrarpolitischer Optionen untersucht. Als mögliche Varianten wurden dabei die Agenda 2000 sowie eine vollständige Liberalisierung der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitk (GAP) ausgewählt. Neben den Politikoptionen werden weitere Parameter variiert, die die Entwicklung der Agrarproduktion und des Handels beeinflußen. Insbesondere werden unterschiedliche Varianten zur Entwicklung der Produktivität im polnischen Agrarsektor simuliert. Die Simulationen erfolgen mittels eines komparativ-statischen, partiellen Gleichgewichtsmodells. Des weiteren wird eine politökonomische Betrachtungsweise unter Nutzung einer Politischen Präferenzfunktion durchgeführt. Die wichtigsten Resultate der Analysen lassen sich wie folgt zusammenfassen: Eine vollständige Liberalisierung der GAP führt bei vorher stark protektionierten Pro-dukten wie Rindfleisch, Milch und Zucker zu Weltmarktpreiserhöhungen. Die Mehrzahl der Erzeuger- und Konsumentenpreise in der EU hingegen sinkt. Es folgt ein starker Rückgang der landwirtschaftlichen Produktion, welcher ein Defizit in der Agrarhandelsbilanz der EU bewirkt. In den Agenda 2000-Szenarien steigt in der EU bei der überwiegenden Zahl der Agrar-güter die Produktion an, auch der Saldo der Agrarhandelsbilanz bleibt positiv. Die Simulation eines EU-Beitritts Polens mit einer vollständigen Liberalisierung führt zu deutlichen Preissenkungen auf den nationalen Märkten. Die Auswirkungen auf die polnische Agrarhandelsbilanz sind stark von der Produktivitätsentwicklung abhängig. Auch ein EU-Beitritt Polens mit der Einführung der Agenda 2000 bedingt Preis-senkungen bei allen landwirtschaftlichen Produkten, mit Ausnahme von Zucker. Doch kann die polnische Agrarhandelsposition eindeutig verbessert werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen weiterhin die Unterschiede in der Beurteilung einer Politikoption in Abhängigkeit von dem gewählten Bewertungsrahmen. Aus der Berechnung sozialer Wohl-fahrtseffekte lassen sich oftmals keine Aussagen zur tatsächlichen Umsetzbarkeit einer Reform formulieren. Erst die Ergänzung der Analyse um politökonomische Parameter ermöglicht auch Aussagen zur politischen Akzeptanz und Machbarkeit einer Politikoption. ; With regard to the approaching accession of Poland to the European Union (EU) this thesis analyzes the effects of different political options on agricultural production and trade. Here the Agenda 2000 and a complete liberalization of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) have been chosen. Furthermore, variations of other important parameters like population, income and different development paths for the productivity in the Polish agricultural sector are included. The simulations are run with a comparative static, partial equilibrium trade model accompanied by a Political Preference Function allowing for insights into the political economy of agricultural policy reform. The main results are as follows: A complete liberalization of the CAP leads to an increase in world market prices for once highly protected products like beef, milk and sugar. Concerning the national prices in the EU a decrease for most products is predicted. This will be followed by a drop in agricultural production and a negative agricultural trade balance for the European Union. The Agenda 2000 scenario shows an increase in the agricultural production and positive trade effects for the EU. The EU-accession of Poland under a fully liberalized policy leads to much lower prices on Polish agricultural markets. Here the production and trade effects are dominated by the development of the productivity in this sector. An EU-integration under the Agenda 2000 will also lower the prices for agricultural products, with the exeption of sugar. The trade situation will be improved. The derived Political Preference Function shows that the calculation of mere welfare effects is not sufficient for an assessment concerning the feasibility of a political reform. Here the additional analysis of the political influence of different interest groups might be a helpful tool.
"This contribution provides an account of several months aboard the POLAR PARAGUAY, a refrigerated vessel of the Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft, told from the perspective of the Third Navigating Officier. The year is 1975. Under charter by the Salén Reefer Services of Sweden, the ship has just completed two banana transports from Nicaragua to Long Beach. Now she receives the somewhat unusual order to take a cargo of oranges to the Persian Gulf. Three trial deliveries, carried out by the POLAR PARAGUAY and two new ships of Salén's SNOW class, are intended to prove the feasibility of this technically challenging transport: The trip will take six to seven weeks, including what is normally a long wait for permission to dock at the Iranian port of delivery. Throughout this entire period, a temperature of 4.5 ºC has to be guaranteed, despite a constant supply of fresh air. A large number of long-unused sea charts must be updated by hand. As it turns out, many of the charts into which a lot of work has been invested are never needed after all: Due to overcrowding at the originally planned port of discharge Khorramshahr on the Shatt al Arab, Bandar Abbas - located at the entrance to the Persian Gulf - is declared the new port of destination. There 'the ship with fresh oranges' is cleared unexpectedly quickly. Only six days after her arrival, the POLAR PARAGUAY is back at sea. The original plans, based on the assumption of a much longer idle period in Iran, had provided for a subsequent transport of apples from South Africa to Europe. This journey is now replaced by the order to take on bananas in the southern Philippines. For the Gulf of Davao a chart has to be specially drawn - on the basis of the officiers' own measurements and observations - to supplement the existing chart of the 1880s. Now, in 1975, not only are there official warnings of pirate raids, but due to political unrest on the island of Mindanao, taxi drivers can hardly be persuaded to take on fares after nightfall. All these inconveniences are quickly forgotten, however, thanks to the extremely cordial welcome extended to the crew by the people of Davao. From Japan, where the bananas are discharged, the ship transports a cargo of automobiles to El Salvador and Costa Rica, then taking on bananas in Guayaquil for delivery to Long Beach, where oranges are once again loaded. This time, however, the oranges are destined for Europe and thus apparently of a much more average quality than the wonderful fruits shipped to Iran with the hope of conquering a new market." (author's abstract)
