@misc{BergerNagase, author = {Berger, Wolfram and Nagase, Yoko}, title = {Waste management regulation: policy solutions and policy shortcomings}, series = {Scottish Journal of Political Economy}, volume = {65}, journal = {Scottish Journal of Political Economy}, number = {3}, issn = {1467-9485}, doi = {10.1111/sjpe.12137}, pages = {205 -- 223}, abstract = {A model of packaging waste management is presented to explore the policy options available to governments to implement waste regulation in light of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Our model endogenizes the packaging design as an additional determinant for the overall amount of waste jointly with consumers' sorting effort and producers output decisions. The model shows that the policies that yield the first-best allocation may not find public support. Furthermore, if the set of available policy instruments is limited, production and consumption of the good is likely to settle on a sub-optimal level even though the optimal allocation may be achievable. Finally, the model demonstrates that a landfill tax may actually increase landfill waste in the presence of tradable credits for recycling activities. The results shed light on some shortcomings of existing regulatory schemes such as the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations of the UK.}, language = {en} } @misc{BergerNagase, author = {Berger, Wolfram and Nagase, Yoko}, title = {Banking union in Europe: How much centralisation is needed?}, series = {Bulletin of Economic Research}, volume = {70}, journal = {Bulletin of Economic Research}, number = {1}, issn = {1467-8586}, doi = {10.1111/boer.12126}, pages = {E67}, abstract = {We examine the efficiency of banking regulation in a federation with two tiers of government and highly integrated banking systems. We assume that policy makers have incomplete information about banks' true health, and banking sector turmoil can generate cross-border spill-over effects. We show that, in such an environment, the decentralisation of policy responsibilities for the regulation of banks can achieve the first-best allocation and ensure financial stability. While national governments design banking regulations, the federal policy maker authorises inter-regional income redistribution payments throughout the federation. Our results suggest that strengthening national responsibilities in banking regulation and supervision in the course of the further development of the European banking union may be advisable.}, language = {en} } @misc{DermodyNagaseBerger, author = {Dermody, Janine and Nagase, Yoko and Berger, Wolfram}, title = {Theorising self-repairers' worldview-personhood to advance new thinking on extended product lifetimes}, series = {International Journal of Consumer Studies}, volume = {44}, journal = {International Journal of Consumer Studies}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1111/ijcs.12582}, pages = {435 -- 444}, abstract = {The ecological and societal problems caused by product obsolescence and consumerism in modern economies constitute a "wicked human-made problem" of significant magnitude. Current (old) ways of thinking cannot address these problems. Accordingly, in this paper, we critically explore the novel idea of integrated personhood and worldviews to theorize research on self-repairers and their repair behaviours to extend product lifetimes. We conducted a structured and systematic review of published work (n = 183) to identify the conceptual content of the field to inform our theorization. Our findings highlight three key issues. First, constricted theorization undermines understanding of self-repairers and their product lifetime extension (and spillover) behaviours. Second, the underlying conceptual complexity is typically underestimated. Third, the dominance of voluntarist and deterministic studies impedes new directions in research. From our review, an integrated worldview-personhood framework emerges that can deepen understanding of avant-garde self-repairers' engagement with product lifetimes.}, language = {en} } @misc{BergerNagase, author = {Berger, Wolfram and Nagase, Yoko}, title = {A landfill tax refund scheme : analysis and simulation for local governments in the UK}, series = {International journal of environment and waste management : IJEWM}, volume = {38}, journal = {International journal of environment and waste management : IJEWM}, number = {1}, publisher = {Inderscience Enterprises}, address = {Geneva}, issn = {1478-9868}, doi = {10.1504/IJEWM.2024.10068220}, pages = {1 -- 23}, abstract = {Taxes on waste such as a conventional landfill tax belong to a policymakers standard arsenal to reduce pollution, encourage recycling and reuse of materials, and promote the circular economy. Yet introducing or tightening such taxes typically causes political resistance from the regulated parties. We propose a tax refund scheme that can mitigate this problem. Under the scheme, waste management authorities would be required to pay a tax on landfill waste before the resulting tax revenue is rebated to them. Waste-reducing efforts would be stimulated because the refund structure rewards authorities that outperform others in reducing landfilled waste. Using the 2019-2020 data on municipal solid waste we present a simulation of our policy proposal for the UK that can serve as a policy design blueprint for other countries. The information requirements for the policy scheme are low, and its design and administration are simple.}, language = {en} }