Breathe in, breathe out: regulation on the European automobile market and air quality

July 28, 2018 Research

Mathias Reynaert  and Isis Durrmeyer, assistant professors at TSE (UT Capitole) have received a new fund from the French National Research Agency for their research project  "Breathe in, breathe out: regulation on the European automobile market and air quality".

The car industry is subject to a multitude of environmental regulations: emission standards, fuel taxes, registration taxes and ownership taxes.

This proposal studies the economic and environmental impact of such regulations in the European car market. How is air quality in Europe affected by vehicle taxation? Do policies that target carbon emissions improve or deteriorate air quality? Are governments exploiting environmental regulations to favor their national industries? How does a national regulation affect other European countries?

This proposal’s objective is to quantitatively investigate these questions by combining new data together with economic models using state-of-the-art econometric techniques. Their research aims to deepen understanding of regulatory interventions and their effects on economic activity and environment.  Findings will provide inputs for the design of smarter policies.