• Energy Research

We thank support from the project "Adaptation to sustainable energy transition in Europe: Environmental, socio-economic and cultural aspects (ADAPTAS)'' as part of the funding for this research. (Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness and State Research Agency of Spain, and European Regional Development Fund, No. CSO2017-86975-R). Energy use is the major source of greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of this paper is to examine total domestic and foreign energy use across industries in Brazil over the period 1995–2015. We found that total energy use experienced an annual average growth rate close to 3%. In 2015 only three industries accounted for 37% of total energy use in Brazil: Transport, Food & Beverages, and Electricity, Gas, and Water. In these industries the share of the energy used and produced domestically was higher than the average (85.6%, 84.5% and 94.5% of the total, respectively). In contrast, other industries were increasingly reliant on foreign energy. Thus, the share of domestic use of energy produced abroad was higher than 20% in Textiles and Wearing Apparel, Electrical and Machinery, Transport Equipment and Construction. This fact extends the problem of energy-related emissions mitigation from the national to the global level. European Commission CSO2017-86975-R Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness and State Research Agency of Spain CSO2017-86975-R

AbstractClimate change is a major global concern closely related to the strategies aimed at reducing energy consumption and increasing energy efficiency. Over the last decades, the interest in the development of renewable energy (RE) has grown exponentially. In the case of the European Union (EU), the Renewable Energy Directive sets rules to achieve a 32% of total energy consumption to be covered through RE by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, it is important to know what are the main driving factors of RE consumption (REC). This study aims to analyze the impact of economic and social factors on the share of REC in total energy consumption in the EU over the period 2001–2015. For doing so, we estimate a Panel Corrected Standard Error (PCSE) model. The results obtained show that economic factors have a negative effect on REC. In contrast, social factors like education exert a positive effect. This suggests that it is necessary to adopt a holistic approach that includes not only economic but also social aspects in order to foster REC.

Les effets de l'entrepreneuriat et des technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) sur le développement des pays ont été largement étudiés, principalement du point de vue de leur contribution à la croissance économique. Cependant, du point de vue du paradigme du développement humain, le revenu économique n'est qu'une ressource aidant les gens à satisfaire leurs besoins économiques. Cette étude fournit de nouvelles preuves pour combler le fossé dans notre compréhension de la façon dont l'entrepreneuriat et les TIC améliorent la qualité de vie des gens. Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous utilisons l'approche des capacités comme une cadre théorique.L' analyse empirique a été menée en utilisant les moindres carrés ordinaires avec un échantillon de pays pour fournir la preuve que l'entrepreneuriat innovant, tel que mesuré par le Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, a une relation positive avec le développement humain, tel que mesuré par l'indice de progrès social.Les résultats montrent que les TIC, telles que mesurées par l'indice de préparation en réseau, sont positivement liées au progrès social, indiquant que les TIC sont un outil qui aide les gens à améliorer leur capacité à mener la vie qu'ils désirent.Enfin, nous constatons que les TIC stimulent l'effet positif de l'entrepreneuriat innovant sur le progrès social, et donc, que l'amélioration Les TIC, et avec elles, l'activité d'innovation entrepreneuriale, améliorent la qualité de vie. Los efectos del emprendimiento y las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) en el desarrollo de los países han sido ampliamente estudiados, principalmente desde la perspectiva de sus contribuciones al crecimiento económico. Sin embargo, desde el paradigma del desarrollo humano, el ingreso económico es solo un recurso que ayuda a las personas a satisfacer sus necesidades económicas. Este estudio proporciona nueva evidencia para cerrar la brecha en nuestra comprensión de cómo el emprendimiento y las TIC mejoran la calidad de vida de las personas. Para lograr este objetivo, utilizamos el enfoque de capacidades como marco teórico. El análisis empírico se realizó utilizando mínimos cuadrados ordinarios con una muestra de países para proporcionar evidencia de que el emprendimiento innovador, según lo medido por el Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, tiene una relación positiva con el desarrollo humano, según lo medido por el Social Progress Index. Los resultados muestran que las TIC, según lo medido por el Networked Readiness Index, está positivamente relacionado con el progreso social, lo que indica que las TIC son una herramienta que ayuda a las personas a mejorar su capacidad para llevar la vida que desean. Finalmente, encontramos que las TIC impulsan el efecto positivo del emprendimiento innovador en el progreso social y, por lo tanto, que mejorar Las TIC, y con ellas la actividad de innovación emprendedora, mejoran la calidad de vida. The effects of entrepreneurship and information and communication technology (ICT) on countries' development have been extensively studied, mainly from the perspective of their contributions to economic growth.However, from the human development paradigm, economic income is only resource helping people satisfy their economic needs.This study provides new evidence to bridge the gap in our understanding of how entrepreneurship and ICT improve the quality of people's lives.To achieve this goal, we use the capabilities approach as a theoretical framework.The empirical analysis was conducted using ordinary least squares with a sample of countries to provide evidence that innovative entrepreneurship, as measured by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, has a positive relationship with human development, as measured by the Social Progress Index.The results show that ICT, as measured by the Networked Readiness Index, is positively related to social progress, indicating that ICT is a tool that helps people improve their ability to lead the life they desire.Finally, we find that ICT boosts the positive effect of innovative entrepreneurship on social progress, and thus, that enhancing ICT, and with it, entrepreneurial innovation activity, improves the quality of life. تمت دراسة آثار ريادة الأعمال وتكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات (ICT) على تنمية البلدان على نطاق واسع، وذلك بشكل أساسي من منظور مساهماتها في النمو الاقتصادي. ومع ذلك، من نموذج التنمية البشرية، فإن الدخل الاقتصادي هو مجرد مورد يساعد الناس على تلبية احتياجاتهم الاقتصادية. تقدم هذه الدراسة أدلة جديدة لسد الفجوة في فهمنا لكيفية تحسين ريادة الأعمال وتكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات لنوعية حياة الناس. ولتحقيق هذا الهدف، نستخدم نهج القدرات الإطار النظري. تم إجراء التحليل التجريبي باستخدام المربعات الصغرى العادية مع عينة من البلدان لتقديم دليل على أن ريادة الأعمال المبتكرة، كما يقيسها المرصد العالمي لريادة الأعمال، لها علاقة إيجابية بالتنمية البشرية، كما يقاسها مؤشر التقدم الاجتماعي. تظهر النتائج أن تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات، كما يقاسها مؤشر الجاهزية الشبكية، ترتبط ارتباطًا إيجابيًا بالتقدم الاجتماعي، مما يشير إلى أن تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات هي أداة تساعد الناس على تحسين قدرتهم على عيش الحياة التي يرغبون فيها. أخيرًا، نجد أن تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات تعزز التأثير الإيجابي لريادة الأعمال المبتكرة على التقدم الاجتماعي، وبالتالي، أن تعزيز تعمل تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات، ومعها نشاط الابتكار الريادي، على تحسين نوعية الحياة.

AbstractIn order to adequately assess energy policies and set clear objectives, a key preliminary step is to know the energy use patterns of the different countries. This paper estimates the evolution of the total energy use over the period 1995–2015 in four European Union (EU) countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, and Spain, representative of two different energy patterns, the “Southern” one and the “Eastern” one. For doing so, we employ a Multi-Regional Input Output (MRIO) model. In difference with previous studies, in addition to differentiate between domestic and foreign use we distinguish whether this energy is produced domestically or abroad. The results obtained show a certain convergence in energy intensity across the four countries examined because of the radical transformations experienced by the Czech Republic and Hungary. Nonetheless, energy intensities are still substantially higher in Eastern than in Southern countries which confirms that the first group of countries have still a long road to go, especially regarding the incentives that their industries have to use energy efficiently. Taking our decomposition of total energy use, the reductions in total energy use were mainly caused by a high decrease in the importance of the domestic use of energy produced domestically. At the same time, a growing importance of the role played by the energy produced abroad was observed. These trends confirm the great importance of global value chains and the steady internalization of energy use. This methodology could be further applied to other countries.

Abstract Biomass is a key element within the Europe's Bioeconomy Strategy. This paper aims at contributing to a better knowledge of the evolution and current state of biomass trade in Spain by adopting a raw material equivalent approach. Instead of measuring trade flows in actual physical quantities, this approach expresses international trade flows in terms of the raw material needed to produce the traded products. The results obtained show that while raw material input of biomass increased by 3560 thousand tonnes over the period 2008–2016, raw material consumption decreased by 15,086 thousand tonnes. This is explained by the different pace of growth registered by raw material equivalent of exports and of imports: while raw material equivalent of exports rose from 49,485 thousand tonnes in 2008 to 68,131 thousand tonnes in 2016 recording a double digit growth of 38%, the increase in raw material equivalent of imports was considerably lower: from 64,560 thousand tonnes to 66,106 thousand tonnes, an increase of 2%. By categories, biomass from agriculture was the main driver of overall trade of biomass. Two groupings deserve special mention: fodder crops, which accounted for one quarter of raw material equivalent of exports, and cereals, which represented almost one third of raw material equivalent of imports in 2016.