https://hdl.handle.net/10419/98135 Center of Business and Economics (WWZ), University of Basel Wed, 04 Nov 2026 19:02:25 GMT 2026-11-04T19:02:25Z https://hdl.handle.net/10419/312918 Title: Early nuclear power plant retirement and policy choices in the New York electricity market Authors: Bah, Muhammad Maladoh; Weigt, Hannes Abstract: The U.S. nuclear industry has overcome a challenging period during which low wholesale market prices threatened the survival of nuclear power plants (NPPs). From 2017 to 2019, several U.S. states initiated out-of-market support schemes to bolster the financial conditions of NPPs. This paper provides a comparative cost assessment between the preservation of three upstate New York NPPs under the zero-emission credit (ZEC) support scheme or an early retirement. In addition, the paper explores future market development scenarios with a carbon price mechanism. A bespoke costminimization dispatch model is developed for the New York electricity market along with four neighboring electricity markets. The comparative cost assessment of a nuclear phaseout and ZEC expenditures is not definitive. Results indicate that phasing out upstate NPPs in 2018 and 2021 incurred a slightly higher cost burden for New York consumers compared to the total ZEC expenditures. In contrast, phasing out upstate NPPs in 2030 incurs a lower cost burden compared to the total ZEC expenditure, mainly due to a high credit price. Furthermore, results show that a low carbon price of $51/ton would raise average NYISO prices by $24.1/MWh, thereby improving the long-term income conditions of NPPs, and ensuring sufficient accumulation of nuclear decommissioning funds. The study provides policymakers with a sequence of optimal policy options taking into account the pace of renewable development. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10419/312918 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10419/333517 Title: Latent political engagement: Insights from new measures for local democracy Authors: Schib, Tobias; Strebel, Michael; Stutzer, Alois Abstract: A functioning democracy relies on individuals motivated to take on political office. In recent decades, concerns have grown across Western democracies about increasing political alienation and a declining willingness among citizens to engage in politics. To systematically assess this phenomenon, we introduce the concept of latent political engagement defined as an underlying, non-specific motivation to take on the responsibilities of a political mandate, whether or not it ultimately results in an actual candidacy. To capture it, we propose four survey questions. We fielded them using a large-scale, nationally representative survey of Swiss citizens in 2023. We present descriptive evidence for differences across various socio-economic groups and contextual factors. In particular, we find that individuals who are deeply invested in their municipality - whether through homeownership (economic capital) or membership in local associations (social capital) - exhibit higher levels of latent political engagement. Moreover, municipality size emerges as a key predictor, with small jurisdictions being particularly conducive to fostering a willingness to take on political mandates. Additionally, we provide evidence of language-cultural differences, as native German-speaking individuals are substantially more likely than French speakers to have ever considered holding political office. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10419/333517 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10419/333518 Title: Improving water policy analysis in CGE models: Deriving substitution elasticities from biophysical crop data in a case study for Egypt Authors: Mohammed, Abdelradi; Zabel, Florian; Delzeit, Ruth Abstract: A key challenge in modeling water scarcity in computable general equilibrium (CGE) models is getting the substitution elasticity between water and the other inputs right. This paper develops a novel method to derive the values of the substitution elasticity between water and land by implementing a one-way bottom-up linking from a crop model into a CGE model. Using biophysical relationships from a crop model, we calibrate the shape of the production function of agricultural activities in the CGE model. Furthermore, crop water requirement coefficients are imposed as biophysical constraints on the substitution in crop production. To demonstrate the advantages of this approach, we apply it to an irrigation water tax shock using SAM data for Egypt 2019 and compare the impacts under these derived elasticities with the elasticities of the GTAP-WATER model. The results show that our approach is similar to that of GTAP in the short run. However, in the long run, we find that the impact of the policy on agriculture is larger under the novel approach than under the GTAP elasticities. This method could be applied to other cases using region-specific crop model parameters to study water policy, water use efficiency, agricultural production, and rural development. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10419/333518 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10419/333519 Title: Transport pricing to promote E-biking and reduce externalities: Insights from a GPS-tracked experiment Authors: Roth, Jakob; Schwab, Laura; Hintermann, Beat; Götschi, Thomas; Meister, Adrian; Meyer de Freitas, Lucas; Axhausen, Kay W. Abstract: This study presents results from a randomized controlled trial involving 1,085 participants in Switzerland that have access to an E-bike, a car, and public transport. The participants' transport choices are monitored by means of a GPS-based tracking app. The treatment consists in a monetary incentive that approximates the main external costs and benefits associated with transport in the spirit of a Pigovian tax. This tax reduces transport-related external costs by 6.9 %, which corresponds to 78 Swiss francs per person and year (currently equivalent to 94 US dollars). The main underlying mechanism is a mode shift away from driving towards E-biking, public transport and walking. The results are primarily driven by individuals who own an S-pedelec with support up to 45 km/h, rather than users of the more common E-bikes that provide support up to 25 km/h. The pricing also induces a travel shift towards less congested time windows Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10419/333519 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z