SAMFUNN: (When) are economic instruments environmentally effective? The case of transport sector

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The project analyses conditions that influence to what extent economic instruments are or could be effective, efficient and legitimate. This is done by developing and testing two contrasting theories on the design and effects of economic instruments in environmental policy. Behavioural economics aims at improving the effectiveness, efficiency and acceptance of economic instruments, e.g by combining them with other instruments such as information. Critical institutional sociology claim that economic ins truments are part and parcel of a wider restructuring of the relation between state and market, and unable to cope with the underlying causes of important environmental problems. The project will examine the validity of these contrasting claims Empirical ly, the project will study the effect of different policy strategies for the reduction of environmental problems in the transport sector (i.e. local pollution, congestion, noise, climate gas emissions). Methodologically, the project make use of and exp lores the relevance of a combination of methods for evaluating instruments; meta-analysis which implies systematic, formal and statistical synthesis of large amount of literature reviews on effects of economic instruments, and in-depth case studies of co re areas of environmental policies in the transport sector; design and effects of incentive schemes in public administration; design and effects of road pricing schemes and of taxation, and analyses of the Norwegian politico-administrative field, therebv addressing the applicability of different types of economic instruments and combinations with other instruments.