Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/101980 
Year of Publication: 
2014
Series/Report no.: 
Nota di Lavoro No. 40.2014
Publisher: 
Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), Milano
Abstract: 
International diffusion of advanced environment and energy-related technologies has received much attention in recent environmental economics studies. As a much needed complement to the “black box” complex numerical modelling, this paper contributes to developing a simple, intuitive analytical framework to unveil the mechanism of international technology diffusion for energy productivity growth. We draw on the Solow growth model to build a benchmark exogenous framework to explore the basic mechanism of energy technology diffusion. This exogenous model is then extended to a Romer-type endogenous one where the R&D-induced expansion of energy technology varieties is used to represent the deep structure of technology diffusion. We show that the growth rates of energy productivity are the same across countries in the balanced growth path equilibrium, but the cross-country differences in the efficiency of foreign technology absorption and indigenous innovation lead to cross-country divergence in the levels of energy productivity. The economy that has a stronger capacity of assimilating foreign technology diffusion and undertaking indigenous innovation tends to gain a higher level of energy productivity.
Subjects: 
Technological Innovation
Energy Technology Diffusion
Solow Growth Model
Endogenous Growth Model
JEL: 
Q55
Q58
Q43
Q48
O13
O31
O33
O44
F18
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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