Ilias Matterne

Essays on environmental taxation and innovation

• Doctoral guidance committee: Prof. dr. Annelies Roggeman (Ghent University, main supervisor), Prof dr. Isabelle Verleyen (Ghent University, co-supervisor), Prof. dr. Stijn Goeminne (Ghent University)

• Worldwide concern about our environmental situation and the need for sustainable recovery has been expressed through numerous international agreements and actions. Industrialization and globalization are often pointed out to be the main causes of global environmental pollution. Subsequently, governments are frequently looked at to act upon these negative externalities of our day-to-day economy. To combat emissions, and in an attempt to include environmental measures in their policies, many governments have implemented either an emissions trading system (ETS), an environmental tax, or a combination of both. Previous literature shows that such environmental regulations can impact the innovative behaviour of firms. However, a consensus on the direction and the gravity of its effect on innovation is yet to be reached. In light of the current environmental solicitude, and due to the lack of evidence in the literature available, my research studies the link between environmental taxation and innovation from a macro-economic point of view.