CEDE Seminar - Brigitte Castañeda

Do the macroeconomic effect of a carbon tax differ between countries, according to the primary energy source? I answer this question with a theoretical model of directed technical change and test empirically the main results. I find four main results: (i) In the absence of subsidies, carbon taxes have a negative effect on economic growth, (ii) this negative effect is a decreasing function of the proportion of clean energy sources.  (iii) subsidies for clean inputs have a positive effect on economic growth, and (iv) the magnitude of this effect grows with the proportion of clean energy sources. The empirical results are consistent with the predictions of the theoretical model and suggest that policymakers could consider this relationship between the energy mix and the economic effect of a carbon tax when creating environmental regulations.