Department of Political Science and Public Administration

Doctoral Dissertation in progress

"Environmental taxation: Administrating carbon tax revenues as a means to enhance social acceptability"

Commencement date: June 22, 2021

Abstract

Nowadays, for the adoption, sustainability and effectiveness of environmental policies, more than purely numerical or fiscal parameters are assessed.

According to the public choice theory, citizens / voters are a factor with major dynamics in decision-making, who act and choose based on their personal interests. It is therefore evident that the acceptance of any initiative is directly related to the benefit it entails for the citizens, thus becoming a fundamental criterion for choosing the ideal policy tool.

Carbon taxes set the perfect example, with the relevant schemes returning to the forefront of the environmental political scene. Bearing in mind the grave social and economic impact of carbon taxes, the emphasis shifts to managing the reactions of the public and trade-exposed industry.

Taking into account existing systems and identified best practices, this paper will explore the dependence of public acceptance on the use of carbon tax revenues.