This publication compiles eight case studies undertaken as part of an OECD study on how economic support measures actually affect the economy and, as a result, the environment. These case studies analyse the effects of particular support schemes and/or the possibilities for their reform.

Subsidies are pervasive throughout OECD countries and worldwide. Every year, OECD countries transfer at least USD 400 billion to different economic sectors. Much of this support is potentially environmentally harmful. Reforming environmentally harmful subsidies is a significant policy challenge facing OECD countries. However, untangling and assessing the effects of subsidies on the environment is a complex task. A systematic approach is required to ensure that appropriate policies are developed and the benefits of reform fully realised. This report presents sectoral analyses on agriculture, fisheries, water, energy and transport. It proposes a checklist approach to identifying and assessing environmentally harmful subsidies. It also identifies the key tensions and conflicts that are likely to influence subsidy policy making. Can the political and economic impediments to subsidy reform be overcome? This book concludes with a discussion of politically feasible subsidy reform strategies. FURTHER READING Environmentally Harmful Subsidies: Policy Issues and Challenges (OECD, 2003)

This comprehensive volume provides the first book-length account on the politics of fossil fuel subsidies. This title is also available as Open Access.

This publications contains four papers presented at an OECD workshop, held in November 2002, to discuss the identification, measurement and analysis of environmentally harmful subsidies, together with a summary of key conclusions reached. Issues considered include: the impact of subsidies on sustainable development and developing countries; the current state of knowledge regarding measuring and classifying subsides across sectors; and developing a methodology for ranking subsidies according to their potential environmental impact.