Research

Currently presenting 

Intergenerational discounting and inequality (with P.G. Piacquadio). [First draft. Currently rewriting.] 

Pitch: We axiomatically characterize the theories of intergenerational justice that disentangle normative views on discounting from normative views on intergenerational inequality. A large family of criteria emerges, capturing many more ethical views than standard, including non-exponential discounting (e.g., hyperbolic discounting) or positional attitudes to inequality (e.g., Gini aggregation).

Does axiological longtermism require deontic shorttermism? (with G.B. Asheim). [First draft soon.] 

Pitch: Weak longtermism can be robustly supported as non-declining well-being by an axiology based on consequentialist axioms of impartiality (i.e., anonymity) and sensitivity (i.e., Pareto) in productive societies. We argue that the interests of future generations when the present generation implement such development are most easily taken care of if altruism concerns only the immediate descendants of the same dynasty, as this minimizes the total weight on future generations.

Other selected work in progress

Designing carbon pricing policies across the globe (with R.C. Schmidt and M.A. Drupp). R&R, Environmental and Resource Economics. [Executive Summary.]

Operationalizing early warning signals for effective decision-making (with S. Shayegh, D. Proverbio, S. Alibakhshi, V. Dakos, F.K. Diekert, D. Heyen, A. Richter, M. Schreuder and E. Weinans). [E-mail for draft.] 

Do early warning signals of tipping points lead to better decisions? (with F.K. Diekert, D. Heyen and S. Shayegh). Rej&R.

Testing the free-rider hypothesis in climate policy (with R.C. Schmidt, M.A. Drupp and H. Hoegen). Papers 2211.06209, arXiv.org. [Currently rewriting.] 

• Influenced public guidance in the US.

• Covered in the Stanford GSB Podcast.

Updating climate beliefs based on latest IPCC report points to increased willingness to act (with M.C. Freeman, B. Groom and G. Wagner). [Tentative title, e-mail for draft.] 

Sense and sensitivity: An argument against reporting multiple Net Present Values (with M.A. Drupp, M.C. Freeman and B. Groom). Available at SSRN. [Currently rewriting.] 

Embedded discounting (with D. Møller Sneum, E. Rosenlund Soysal and M.C. Freeman).

• Awarded Best Presentation at Smart Energy Systems (D. Møller Sneum).

A decision-theoretic framework for early warning systems (with F.K. Diekert, D. Heyen and S. Shayegh). [Tentative title, first draft soon.]

Journal publications

Cross-dynastic intergenerational altruism (solo-authored). Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 128, 103059.

• Awarded the CESifo Distinguished Affiliate Award, H.M. The King’s Gold Medal and Best Dissertation Award from the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.

Pricing carbon: Evidence from expert recommendations (with M.A. Drupp and R.C. Schmidt). American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 16(4), 68-99. [Executive Summary.]

• Referred to in public documents by Denmark.

Accounting for the increasing benefits from scarce ecosystems (with M.A. Drupp, M.C. Hänsel, E.P. Fenichel, M.C. Freeman, C. Gollier, B. Groom, G.M. Heal, P.H. Howard, A. Millner, F.C. Moore, M.F. Quaas, S. Smulders, T. Sterner, C. Traeger and F. Venmans). Science, 383(6687), 1062-1064. [Interactive app.]

• Referred to in public documents by Västra Götaland County.

Philosophers and economists agree on climate policy paths but for different reasons (with M.A. Drupp, M.C. Freeman and B. Groom), Nature Climate Change, 13(6), 515-22.

• Influenced public guidance in the US, and is also referred to in public documents by the UNFCCC and the World Bank.

The future, now: A review of social discounting (with B. Groom, M.A. Drupp and M.C. Freeman), Annual Review of Resource Economics, 14(1), 467-91. 

• Influenced public guidance in the US, and is also referred to in public documents by the World Bank.

Climate economics support for the UN climate targets (with M.C. Hänsel, M.A. Drupp, D.J.H. Johansson, C. Azar, M.C. Freeman, B. Groom and T. Sterner), Nature Climate Change 10(8), 781-9. 

• Awarded H.M. The King’s Gold Medal and the Best Dissertation Award from the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.

• Influenced public guidance in the US, and is also referred to in public documents by the European Union, the IPCC, Sweden and the UNDP.

Discounting disentangled (with M.A. Drupp, M.C. Freeman and B. Groom), American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 10(4), 109-34. 

• Awarded H.M. The King’s Gold Medal and the Best Dissertation Award from the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.

• Influenced public guidance in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New York State, the UK and the US, and is also referred to in public documents by the Dasgupta Review, the FAO, the IPCC, the IPBES,  the OECD, the Office for National Statistics, Ontario, the UNFCCC and the World Bank.

Risikojustering av kalkulasjonsrenta i samfunnsøkonomiske analysar (with D. Lund), Samfunnsøkonomen 132(4), 34-42. [Translated: Risk adjustment of the discount rate in cost-benefit analyses.]

• Influenced public guidance in Norway.

Destructive intergenerational altruism (with G.B. Asheim), Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists 3(4), 957-98. 

• Awarded H.M. The King’s Gold Medal and the Best Dissertation Award from the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.

Book chapters

Discounting and the green transition: District heating in Denmark (with M.C. Freeman, D. Møller Sneum and E.  Rosenlund Soysal), Energy Regulation in the Green Transition: An Anthology  (B.E. Olsen et al., eds.), Danish Utility Regulator. 

Intergenerational altruism: A solution to the climate problem? (with G.B. Asheim), Handbook on the Economics of Climate Change (G. Chichilnisky and A. Rezai, eds.), Edward Elgar. [Preprint.]

Policy briefs and comments

Public comment on: "Guidance for Assessing Changes in Environmental and Ecosystem Services in Benefit-Cost Analysis" (with M.A. Drupp, E.P. Fenichel, M.C. Freeman, C. Gollier, B. Groom, M.C. Hänsel, G.M. Heal, A. Millner, M.F. Quaas, S. Smulders, T. Sterner, C. Traeger and F. Venmans).

• Influenced public guidance in the US.

Public comment on: "Proposed OMB Circular No. A-4" and "Preamble: Proposed OMB Circular No. A-4, Regulatory Analysis" (with M.A. Drupp, E.P. Fenichel, M.C. Freeman, C. Gollier, B. Groom, M.C. Hänsel, G.M. Heal, A. Millner, M.F. Quaas, S. Smulders, T. Sterner, C. Traeger and F. Venmans).

• Influenced public guidance in the US, and is also referred to in public documents by the World Bank.

Research briefing: Philosophers reinforce economists' support for climate change mitigation (with B. Groom), Nature Climate Change, 13(6), 513-4. 

Public comment on: "Standards of Performance for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources and Emissions Guidelines for Existing Sources: Oil and Natural Gas Sector Climate Review: EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0317-1460" (with M.A. Drupp, M.C. Freeman and B. Groom).

• Influenced public guidance in the US.

Assessing climate change (solo-authored), EAERE Magazine 15, 10-13. 

Public comment on: “Technical Support Document: Social Cost of Carbon, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide Interim Estimates Under Executive Order 13990” (with M.A. Drupp, M.C. Freeman and B. Groom).

Risk adjustment of the discount rate: Practice and recommendations (with D. Lund). Invited presentation at the Ministry of Finance in Norway. [In Norwegian, not translated.]

How much should we care about the future? What the experts say (with M.A. Drupp, M.C. Freeman and B. Groom), EAERE Magazine 5, 15-18.