IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/col/000416/019276.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does idiosyncratic risk matter for climate policy?

Author

Listed:
  • Richard Jaimes

Abstract

This paper considers an overlapping generations model with idiosyncratic labor income risk and a climate externality. We illustrate analytically that market-based climate policies must be adjusted when there are other intertemporal distortions in the economy. Specifically, we show that under precautionary savings the government finds it optimal to tax capital and to correct the carbon price accordingly. In a numerical exercise, we find that idiosyncratic risk leads to an optimal capital income tax rate of 48% and a carbon price 11% lower than its Pigouvian level in the first best

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Jaimes, 2021. "Does idiosyncratic risk matter for climate policy?," Vniversitas Económica, Universidad Javeriana - Bogotá, vol. 0(0), pages 1-30, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:col:000416:019276
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F_PhyHi5fMEmT-hWpqfHIWp614BL8N13/view
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Belfiori, Maria Elisa, 2017. "Carbon pricing, carbon sequestration and social discounting," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 1-17.
    2. Reyer Gerlagh & Matti Liski, 2018. "Carbon Prices for the Next Hundred Years," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(609), pages 728-757, March.
    3. Piero Gottardi & Atsushi Kajii & Tomoyuki Nakajima, 2016. "Constrained Inefficiency and Optimal Taxation with Uninsurable Risks," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 18(1), pages 1-28, February.
    4. Jacobs, Bas & de Mooij, Ruud A., 2015. "Pigou meets Mirrlees: On the irrelevance of tax distortions for the second-best Pigouvian tax," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 90-108.
    5. Chiroleu-Assouline, Mireille & Fodha, Mouez, 2014. "From regressive pollution taxes to progressive environmental tax reforms," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 126-142.
    6. Reyer Gerlagh & Richard Jaimes & Ali Motavasseli, 2017. "Global Demographic Change and Climate Policies," CESifo Working Paper Series 6617, CESifo.
    7. Daniel Harenberg & Alexander Ludwig, 2015. "Social security in an analytically tractable overlapping generations model with aggregate and idiosyncratic risks," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 22(4), pages 579-603, August.
    8. Florian Hoffmann & Roman Inderst & Ulf Moslener, 2017. "Taxing Externalities Under Financing Constraints," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 127(606), pages 2478-2503, November.
    9. van den Bijgaart, Inge & Gerlagh, Reyer & Liski, Matti, 2016. "A simple formula for the social cost of carbon," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 75-94.
    10. Reyer Gerlagh & Matti Liski, 2018. "Carbon Prices for The Next Hundred Years," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(609), pages 728-757.
    11. Rezai, Armon & van der Ploeg, Frederick, 2015. "Robustness of a simple rule for the social cost of carbon," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 48-55.
    12. Reyer Gerlagh & Matti Liski, 2018. "Consistent climate policies," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 16(1), pages 1-44.
    13. Hiraguchi, Ryoji & Shibata, Akihisa, 2015. "Taxing capital is a good idea: The role of idiosyncratic risk in an OLG model," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 258-269.
    14. repec:hal:pseose:hal-00974835 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Gauti B. Eggertsson & Neil R. Mehrotra & Jacob A. Robbins, 2019. "A Model of Secular Stagnation: Theory and Quantitative Evaluation," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(1), pages 1-48, January.
    16. Piero Gottardi & Atsushi Kajii & Tomoyuki Nakajima, 2015. "Optimal Taxation and Debt with Uninsurable Risks to Human Capital Accumulation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(11), pages 3443-3470, November.
    17. Mikhail Golosov & John Hassler & Per Krusell & Aleh Tsyvinski, 2014. "Optimal Taxes on Fossil Fuel in General Equilibrium," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 82(1), pages 41-88, January.
    18. Marrouch, Walid & Sinclair-Desgagné, Bernard, 2012. "Emission taxes when pollution depends on location," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(4), pages 433-443, August.
    19. Barrage, Lint, 2018. "Be careful what you calibrate for: Social discounting in general equilibrium," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 33-49.
    20. Tideman, T. Nicolaus & Plassmann, Florenz, 2010. "Pricing externalities," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 176-184, June.
    21. Krueger, Dirk & Ludwig, Alexander & Villalvazo, Sergio, 2021. "Optimal taxes on capital in the OLG model with uninsurable idiosyncratic income risk," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    22. By Louis Kaplow, 2012. "Optimal Control Of Externalities In The Presence Of Income Taxation," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 53(2), pages 487-509, May.
    23. Lint Barrage, 2020. "Optimal Dynamic Carbon Taxes in a Climate–Economy Model with Distortionary Fiscal Policy," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 87(1), pages 1-39.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kornek, Ulrike & Klenert, David & Edenhofer, Ottmar & Fleurbaey, Marc, 2021. "The social cost of carbon and inequality: When local redistribution shapes global carbon prices," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    2. Reyer Gerlagh & Veronica Lupi & Marzio Galeotti, 2023. "Fertility and climate change," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 125(1), pages 208-252, January.
    3. Traeger, Christian, 2021. "ACE - Analytic Climate Economy," CEPR Discussion Papers 15968, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Richard S.J. Tol, 2021. "Estimates of the social cost of carbon have not changed over time," Working Paper Series 0821, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    5. Frederick Ploeg & Armon Rezai, 2019. "Simple Rules for Climate Policy and Integrated Assessment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 72(1), pages 77-108, January.
    6. Hillebrand, Elmar & Hillebrand, Marten, 2019. "Optimal climate policies in a dynamic multi-country equilibrium model," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 200-239.
    7. Belfiori, Maria Elisa, 2018. "Climate change and intergenerational equity: Revisiting the uniform taxation principle on carbon energy inputs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 292-299.
    8. Moritz A. Drupp & Frikk Nesje & Robert C. Schmidt & Robert Christian Schmidt, 2022. "Pricing Carbon," CESifo Working Paper Series 9608, CESifo.
    9. van der Ploeg, Frederick & Rezai, Armon, 2021. "Optimal carbon pricing in general equilibrium: Temperature caps and stranded assets in an extended annual DSGE model," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    10. Martin C. Hänsel & Michael D. Bauer & Moritz A. Drupp & Gernot Wagner & Glenn D. Rudebusch, 2022. "Climate Policy Curves: Linking Policy Choices to Climate Outcomes," CESifo Working Paper Series 10113, CESifo.
    11. Arnaud Goussebaïle, 2022. "Democratic Climate Policies with Overlapping Generations," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 22/374, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    12. Rising, James A. & Taylor, Charlotte & Ives, Matthew C. & Ward, Robert E.t., 2022. "Challenges and innovations in the economic evaluation of the risks of climate change," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 114941, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Rising, James A. & Taylor, Charlotte & Ives, Matthew C. & Ward, Robert E.T., 2022. "Challenges and innovations in the economic evaluation of the risks of climate change," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    14. Richard S. J. Tol, 2021. "Estimates of the social cost of carbon have increased over time," Papers 2105.03656, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2022.
    15. Christian P. Traeger, 2023. "ACE—Analytic Climate Economy," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 372-406, August.
    16. Hillebrand, Elmar & Hillebrand, Marten, 2023. "Who pays the bill? Climate change, taxes, and transfers in a multi-region growth model," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    17. Shuichi Tsugawa, 2024. "Optimal redistributive policy under disaster risk: self-protection, social mitigation and social adaptation," Working Papers e203, Tokyo Center for Economic Research.
    18. Moritz A. Drupp & Martin C. Hänsel, 2021. "Relative Prices and Climate Policy: How the Scarcity of Nonmarket Goods Drives Policy Evaluation," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 13(1), pages 168-201, February.
    19. Reyer Gerlagh & Veronica Lupi & Marzio Galeotti, 2018. "Family Planning and Climate Change," CESifo Working Paper Series 7421, CESifo.
    20. Jacobs, Bas & van der Ploeg, Frederick, 2019. "Redistribution and pollution taxes with non-linear Engel curves," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 198-226.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fiscal policy; Optimal taxation; Externalities; Environmental policies.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:col:000416:019276. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Mayerly Galindo Rodriguez (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.