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Do regulatory loopholes distort technical change? Evidence from new vehicle launches under the Japanese fuel economy regulation

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  • Konishi, Yoshifumi
  • Managi, Shunsuke

Abstract

Environmental regulation often creates regulatory loopholes that are not ideal in first-best settings. Such loopholes affect the marginal costs of alternative compliance strategies, leading to distortion in firm's compliance choice. We quantify the unintended effect of such loopholes on technical change in the Japanese automobile industry, using variant-level data on new vehicle launches. We employ a triple difference strategy, exploiting the two-fold treatment-control structures within each product segment, due to regulation-induced variations in the Japanese fuel economy standards over time. Our results indicate that regulation-induced differences in technical trade-offs have induced a distortion not only in product attributes but also in technical progress in fuel economy technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Konishi, Yoshifumi & Managi, Shunsuke, 2020. "Do regulatory loopholes distort technical change? Evidence from new vehicle launches under the Japanese fuel economy regulation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:104:y:2020:i:c:s0095069620301005
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2020.102377
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    Cited by:

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    2. Wesseh, Presley K. & Benjamin, Nelson I. & Lin, Boqiang, 2022. "The coordination of pumped hydro storage, electric vehicles, and climate policy in imperfect electricity markets: Insights from China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    3. Wu, Jingwen & Zhang, Tong & Liao, Hua, 2024. "Fuel economy standards: Regulatory loopholes and firms’ heterogeneous responses," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Automobile; Triple difference; Energy policy; Fuel economy regulation; Ratchet effect; Regulatory loopholes; Technical change; Technology policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law
    • L62 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Automobiles; Other Transportation Equipment; Related Parts and Equipment
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation

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