Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2023-520/ This is the nineth quadrennial report on the use of economic instruments in Nordic environmental policy published by the Nordic Working Group for Environment and Economics. The report contains two parts. Part 1 summarizes the most significant developments in the use of economic instruments in the environmental policies in the Nordic countries. It provides an overview of new instruments or major changes to existing instruments from 2018 to 2021 in the Nordic countries. The biggest changes are seen in the transport sector and in the field of energy and air pollution. Part 2 provides an overview of policies and instruments the Nordic countries have used to promote clean technologies. Most common is the use of a mix of environmental taxes and subsidies. Each country has chosen different technological paths depending on national and sector characteristics, as well as national preferences.

This is the eighth quadrennial report on the use of economic instruments in Nordic environmental policy published by the Nordic Working Group for Environment and Economics. The report comprises two parts. Part I summarises the use of economic instruments in environmental policies of the five countries, during the period 2014-2017. It provides an overview of new instruments and major changes to existing instruments, a detailed country-by-country description of these developments, and a cross-country comparison. Part II provides an overview of the use of voluntary environmental agreements in different environmental sectors across the Nordic countries. It includes an overview and synthesis of studies that have evaluated the effects of voluntary environmental agreements.

The Working Group on Environment and Economy of the Nordic Council of Ministers publishes regular reports on the use of economic instruments in Nordic environmental policy. This report is part of that series and has two parts. Part 1 presents an overview of the use of economic instruments in Nordic environmental policy, with a focus on policy changes over the period 2010-2013. Part 2 develops a framework for assessing the political possibilities of reforming environmentally harmful subsidies, and applies this framework to three cases relevant in the Nordic context. The report was prepared by Copenhagen Economics, GreenStream Network and Environice. The authors of the report are Hrafnhildur Bragadóttir, Carl von Utfall Danielsson, Roland Magnusson, Sampo Seppänen, Amanda Stefansdotter and David Sundén.

The Working Group on Environment and Economy of the Nordic Council of Ministers publishes regular reports on the use of economic instruments in Nordic environmental policy. This report is part of that series and has two parts. Part 1 presents an overview of the use of economic instruments in Nordic environmental policy, with a focus on policy changes over the period 2010-2013. Part 2 develops a framework for assessing the political possibilities of reforming environmentally harmful subsidies, and applies this framework to three cases relevant in the Nordic context. The report was prepared by Copenhagen Economics, GreenStream Network and Environice. The authors of the report are Hrafnhildur Bragadóttir, Carl von Utfall Danielsson, Roland Magnusson, Sampo Seppänen, Amanda Stefansdotter and David Sundén.

As Thomas Sterner points out, the economic 'toolkit' for dealing with environmental problems has become formidable. It includes taxes, charges, permits, deposit-refund systems, labeling, and other information disclosure mechanisms. Though not all these devices are widely used, empirical application has started within some sectors, and we are beginning to see the first systematic efforts at an advanced policy design that takes due account of market-based incentives. Sterner‘s book encourages more widespread and careful use of economic policy instruments. Intended primarily for application in developing and transitional countries, the book compares the accumulated experiences of the use of economic policy instruments in the U.S. and Europe, as well as in select rich and poor countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Ambitious in scope, the book discusses the design of instruments that can be employed in a wide range of contexts, including transportation, industrial pollution, water pricing, waste, fisheries, forests, and agriculture. Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management is deeply rooted in economics but also informed by perspectives drawn from political, legal, ecological, and psychological research. Sterner notes that, in addition to meeting requirements for efficiency, the selection and design of policy instruments must satisfy criteria involving equity and political acceptability. He is careful to distinguish between the well-designed plans of policymakers and the resulting behavior of society. A copublication of Resources for the Future, the World Bank, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).