AEMI

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10347/40016

O grupo de investigación Análise Económica dos Mercados e Institucións ( AEMI) está formado por un equipo de investigadores que, nas liñas de investigación de Organización Industrial, Economía Financeira, Economía dos Recursos Naturais e Macroeconomía, realizan estudos teóricos publicables en revistas académicas de carácter internacional e de alto impacto bibliométrico, elaboran bases de datos e utilízanas para a realización de estudos empíricos publicables nas revistas de máis alto impacto, e asesoran a empresas e institucións sobre as liñas de investigación contempladas, establecendo con elas contratos para a realización de informes e estudos.

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Subsidios al desguace de bienes duraderos, heterogeneidad y ecos de reemplazo
(Ministerio de Economía, Comercio y Empresa. Secretaría de Estado de Comercio, 2006) Licandro, Omar; Rodríguez Sampayo, Antonio; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
En un contexto con consumidores heterogéneos y reemplazo endógeno de bienes duraderos, analizamos la propagación dinámica de un subsidio al reemplazo. Encontramos que el subsidio genera flu-tuaciones endógenas en las compras de bienes duraderos. Pero la heterogeneidad en la edad de reemplazo suaviza las fluctuaciones, que tienden a desaparecer en la transición al estado estacionario. Sin embargo, la exigencia de una edad mínima de reemplazo para poder acceder al subsidio, atenúa el papel de la heterogeneidad en la eliminación de las fluctuaciones de forma que, dependiendo del perfil de la heterogeneidad, puede incluso no existir convergencia al nuevo estado estacionario.
Destrucción creativa y las dinámicas de la creación y la destrucción de empleo
(Secretaría de Estado de Comercio, Ministerio de Economía, Comercio y Empresa del Gobierno de España, 2007) Río Iglesias, Fernando del; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
En este artículo se construye un modelo canónico de generaciones de capital con progreso técnico incorporado y regateo de Nash generalizado en el mercado de trabajo. El desempleo está causado por un problema de apropiabilidad del excedente. En este marco la aceleración del progreso técnico incorporado incrementa tanto la creación como la destrucción de empleos. Sin embargo, la respuesta de la destrucción de empleos a tal aceleración es mayor que la respuesta de la creación. Por lo tanto, la destrucción es más volátil que la creación de empleo. Más aún, los patrones de creación y destrucción de empleo no son simétricos.
The Ocean Equity Index
(Nature Research, 2026-01-28) Blythe, Jessica L.; Lazzari, Natali; Relano, Verónica; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Zafra Calvo, Noelia; Relano, Verónica; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Economía Aplicada; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Ambientais (CRETUS)
The ocean is essential for humanity1,2,3. Yet, inequity in ocean-based activities is widespread and accelerating4,5,6,7,8. Addressing this requires governance approaches that can systematically measure equity and track progress9. Here we present the Ocean Equity Index (OEI)—a framework for assessing and improving equity in ocean initiatives, projects and policies. We apply the index, which scores twelve criteria, to case studies at local, national and global scales. We show that the OEI can generate structured data to support evidence-based decision-making across ocean sectors and scales. As a theoretically robust and widely applicable tool, the OEI can guide the design of more equitable ocean initiatives, projects or policies, ensuring better outcomes for coastal people and marine ecosystems.
Synergizing scientific and local knowledge for ecosystem services assessments: A case study in northern Portugal
(Wiley and British Ecological Society, 2026) Cunha, Jacinto; Cabecinha, Edna; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Balbi, Stefano; Elliott, Michael; Ramos, Sandra; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Ambientais (CRETUS)
Integrating scientific and local ecological knowledge on ecosystem services (ES) is essential for effective and inclusive environmental management. Such an integration strengthens societal engagement, supports policy implementation and helps reduce sectoral conflicts across marine sectors. This study explored this synergy by assessing stakeholder perceptions of local ES and comparing them with existing scientific assessments in the NW coastal area of Portugal. Stakeholders representing four societal sectors (Quadruple Helix framework) prioritized regulation and maintenance ES (RMES), identified RMES supply areas and pressures, and outlined a 20-year vision for the region. Stakeholders classified 16 of the 20 RMES as ‘Very Important’, particularly erosion control, buffering mass movements, coastal protection, or climate regulation. Estuaries and northern coastal areas were identified as RMES supply hotspots. Ten major activities were identified, as well as conflict areas in coastal and estuarine regions, and some marine areas, particularly where fishing, tourism and potential future offshore wind farms overlapped. The stakeholder 20-year vision aligned with environmental policies, advocating an increase in ecosystem-based management (EBM) approaches and effective management of human activities to ensure the maintenance of natural capital. Comparisons between stakeholder and scientific-based maps revealed broad agreement in nearshore areas but discrepancies offshore. While for nearshore regions stakeholders were able to complement the information of the scientific-based maps for ES supply and pressures, less knowledge of offshore regions was observed from the stakeholders. This study highlighted the value of integrating scientific and local stakeholder knowledge to support informed decision-making, filling knowledge gaps and establishing stakeholder priorities for ecosystem management in marine regions that can support more complete, equitable and effective marine planning.
Indigenous Peoples and local communities as agents of transformative change for sustainability
(Nature Research, 2026) Reyes García, Victoria; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Ambientais (CRETUS)
Achieving just, equitable, and effective sustainability transformations requires diverse social engagement. This paper identifies five key roles played by Indigenous Peoples and local communities as agents of transformative change: embodying sustainable lifeways, resisting harm and defending rights, extending their practices to influence broader systems, and offering foundational models for care-oriented economies and governance. Through illustrative examples, we show how Indigenous Peoples and local communities actively contribute to global transformation. We emphasize the importance of engaging with a wide range of actors in supporting, expanding, and deepening these contributions to realize meaningful, systemic change toward a sustainable and just future.
Single-chamber pacemakers: with or without leads? Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses
(Taylor & Francis, 2025-05-29) Lago Quinteiro, José Ramón; Reyes Santias, Francisco; Antelo Suárez, Manel; Caballer Tarazona, Vicent; Martínez Sande, José Luis; García Seara, Javier; Rodríguez Mañero, Moisés; González Juanatey, José Ramón; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
Introduction The evolution in pacemaker technologies has led to improvements in size, weight, functionality, and durability, even as the battery and electrode-based structural configuration has remained essentially the same. Objective To compare the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of conventional and leadless pacemakers. Material and methods We conducted a retrospective observational study of 403 patients randomly implanted with a conventional or leadless pacemaker (1 June 2015–31 January 2020) in the Hospital-University Complex of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, NW Spain). Results Conventional and leadless pacemakers were implanted in 244 and 159 patients, respectively. Leadless pacemakers were superior to the conventional pacemakers in terms of both cost-effectiveness and cost-utility, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of 6,263.38 euros per gained life year and of 5,210.71 euros per quality-adjusted life year, respectively. Conclusions Leadless pacemakers have fewer complications than conventional pacemakers and, although the device itself is more expensive, the leadless pacemaker is more cost-effective in around 90% of cases.
Spanish recessions 1850–2023: A business cycle accounting analysis
(Elsevier, 2026-03) Lores Insua, Francisco Xavier; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
This paper quantitatively analyzes six major recessions in the Spanish economy between 1850 and 2023 using an accounting framework that decomposes deviations from trend into structural components. The results identify two types of recessions: those driven by labour-aumenting efficiency—such as the fin de siècle Depression and the Great Depression—and those primarily shaped by the household labour wedge—namely, the Great Stagflation, European Recession, Great Recession, and the covid-19 crisis. Tax dynamics played a key role in the Great Stagflation, but not in the more recent crises. Openness and employment composition are informative about labour-aumenting efficiency trend, while institutional labour market features — such as temporary contracts and unemployment benefits — are closely linked to the household labour wedge. The analysis confirms the growing relevance of the household labour wedge in explaining macroeconomic fluctuations in Spain, even when accounting for a stochastic downward trend in hours worked.
Bed capacity and surgical waiting lists: a simulation analysis
(Universidade da Coruña, 2015-12-30) Antelo Suárez, Manel; Reyes Santias, Francisco; Martínez Calvo, Adela; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
Waiting time for elective surgery is a key problem in the current medical world. This paper aims to reproduce, by a Monte Carlo simulation model, the relationship between hospital capacity, inpatient activity, and surgery waiting list size in teaching hospitals. Inpatient activity is simulated by fitting a Normal distribution to real inpatient activity data, and the effect of the number of beds on inpatient activity is modelled with a linear regression model. Analysis is performed with data of the University Multi-Hospital Complex of Santiago de Compostela (Santiago de Compostela, Spain), by considering two scenarios regarding the elastiticity of demand with bed increase. If demand does not grow with an increase on bed capacity, small changes lead to drastic reductions in the waiting lists. However, if demand grows as bed capacity does, adding additional capacity merely makes waiting lists worse
Mergers in financial services and overlending
(Asociación Cuadernos de Economía (ACE), 2018) Peón Pose, David; Antelo Suárez, Manel; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
In this paper we build a model of banking competition that considers a managerial-overconfidence setup resulting in two main findings. First, a merger between rational banks may change their behaviour in that, in post-merger conditions, they would follow the overconfident bank when they would not have done so pre-merger, thereby amplifying the credit boom. Second, the results overcome the merger paradox, in the sense that the merger would be profitable for participants, and thus intrinsically stable.
Five key opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of area-based marine conservation
(Nature Research, 2025) Stanley, R.R.E.; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Claudet, J.; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
Effective area-based conservation is central in global efforts to reverse marine biodiversity loss and safeguard ecosystem functioning. Here, we identify five key opportunities to maximize conservation potential as nations progress towards the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 2030 area-based management targets. These include enhancing accountability, elevating conservation in spatial planning, implementing adaptive management, coordinating conservation efforts across scales, and reconciling design with expected outcomes. Addressing these collectively will advance global marine conservation and maximize its contributions to biodiversity protection and human society.
The carbon footprint of the mussel food chain in Spain
(Elsevier, 2026) Saralegui Díez, Pablo; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Ospina Álvarez, Andrés; Ramón, Montserrat; Moranta, Joan; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Ambientais (CRETUS)
The global food system is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and there is increasing interest in identifying sustainable protein alternatives. Mussels are often promoted as an environmentally friendly source of seafood. However, comprehensive assessments of its carbon footprint, which consider the entire food chain, remain limited. This study estimates the carbon footprint of the mussel food chain in Spain, focusing on its product forms—fresh, frozen, and canned— by reconstructing the mussel supply chain, integrating national production and trade data, and modelling its logistics across international, national, and intraprovincial transport. The relationship between fresh, frozen and processed mussel allows to articulate a consumption approach taking into consideration the interconnections between industrial processing, global supply chains and mussel production. Total GHG emissions reached 287.8 GgCO₂eq.yr-1, with the main contributions from aquaculture production (45 %), industrial processing (43 %), and transport (12 %). Emissions linked to domestic consumption are 190.1 GgCO₂eq.yr-1, representing 6.3 kgCO₂eq.kg-1 edible mussel meat, with pickled mussels representing the most impactful product (8.5 kgCO₂eq.kg-1 edible mussel meat), followed by mussels in brine (6.7 kgCO₂eq.kg-1 edible mussel meat), fresh mussels (4.1 kgCO₂eq.kg-1 edible mussel meat), and frozen mussels (3.6 kgCO₂eq.kg-1 edible mussel meat). Although Galicia accounts for 99 % of domestic mussel production, only 25 % of available fresh mussels are destined for direct domestic consumption. The remainder feeds industrial processing or is exported, revealing a structure highly dependent on international trade and interprovincial transport. Our findings show that processing and transport are key contributors, and that the most consumed forms present the highest carbon footprints. We highlight the need to promote more sustainable consumption patterns, enhance local consumption of lower-impact forms, and reconfigure industrial and trade strategies to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining the sector’s economic viability.
Sale versus licensing of a cost-reducing innovation by an outside patentholder
(Elsevier, 2026) Antelo Suárez, Manel; Bru, Lluís; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
We investigate an outside patentholder's choice between selling and licensing a cost-reducing innovation to firms that produce differentiated goods in a Cournot duopoly. Sale implies the transfer of ownership rights, whereas licensing—by the patentholder directly or by any assignee—occurs through an endogenously chosen two-part tariff contract. We find that the patentholder has an incentive to sell the innovation (to a single firm that, in turn, licences it to its competitor) only when the goods are close substitutes and the innovation size is sufficiently minimal. Otherwise, the patentholder prefers to licence the innovation to both firms. Although the transfer of innovation, whether through outright sale or licensing, always improves aggregate welfare compared with the pre-transfer scenario, consumer surplus is reduced when the transfer is made by means of sales. Therefore, a socially optimal public policy should aim at banning the sale of outside innovations or, at least, preventing their subsequent licensing by the assignee from within the industry.
Normalizing VES production functions: extending the supply-side system approach
(Elsevier, 2026) Río Iglesias, Fernando del; Rebelo, Francisco; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
This paper extends the Klump et al. (2007) normalization procedure to Variable Elasticity of Substitution (VES) production functions. Normalization addresses identification issues in VES model estimation, allowing joint estimation of substitution elasticities and factor-augmenting technical change, while offering a tractable extension of the normalized supply-side system that bridges the gap between CES and more flexible VES specifications.
Equity and justice should underpin the discourse on tipping points
(Copernicus Publications, 2024) Pereira, Laura M.; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Sumaila, U. Rashid; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
Radical and quick transformations towards sustainability will be fundamental to achieving a more sustainable future. However, deliberate interventions to reconfigure systems will result in winners and losers, with the potential for greater or lesser equity and justice outcomes. Positive tipping points (PTPs) have been proposed as interventions in complex systems with the aim to (a) reduce the likelihood of negative Earth system tipping points and/or (b) increase the likelihood of achieving just social foundations. However, many narratives around PTPs often do not take into account the entire spectrum of impacts the proposed alternatives could have or still rely on narratives that maintain current unsustainable behaviours and marginalize many people (i.e. do not take “b” into account). One such example is the move from petrol-based to electric vehicles. An energy transition that remains based on natural resource inputs from the Global South must be unpacked with an equity and justice lens to understand the true cost of this transition. There are two arguments why a critical engagement with these and other similar proposals needs to be made. First, the idea of transitioning through a substitution (e.g. of fuel) while maintaining the system structure (e.g. of private vehicles) may not necessarily be conceived as the kind of radical transformation being called for by global scientific bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Second, and probably more importantly, the question of positive for whom, positive where, and positive how must be considered. In this paper, we unpack these narratives using a critical decolonial view from the south and outline their implications for the concept of tipping points.
Envisioning desirable futures in small-scale fisheries: a transdisciplinary arts-based co-creation process
(Resilience Alliance, 2024) Gianelli, Ignacio; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
Despite the critical importance of small-scale fisheries for food security and well-being and the role of fishers as stewards of aquatic ecosystems, their future is uncertain. Tackling narratives that portray small-scale fisheries as obsolete, disparate, and inefficient requires collectively imagining and articulating new, creative, and inspiring narratives that reflect their real contributions and enable transformative futures. Drawing on a transdisciplinary country-level case study, we analyze the process and outcomes of co-creating desirable, plural, and meaningful visions of the future for small-scale fisheries in Uruguay. Using an arts-based approach and leveraging the agency of emerging innovative initiatives throughout the country, different food system actors (fish workers, chefs, entrepreneurs) and knowledge systems (local, experience-based, and scientific) were engaged in a creative visioning process. The results of this arts-based co-creation process include (1) a series of desirable visions and narratives, synthesized into an artistic boundary object; and (2) the stepping stones to a transformative space for collective reflection, learning, and action. Although the artistic boundary object has proven instrumental among multiple and diverse participants, the transformative space encouraged academic and non-academic participants to plan collective actions and to feel more confident, motivated, and optimistic about the future of small-scale fisheries in Uruguay. With this paper we provide a tool, a platform, and a roadmap to counter the dominant bleak narrative, while also communicating the elements that constitute desirable futures for small-scale fisheries in Uruguay. On a broader scale, our contribution reinforces the emerging narrative of the key role that small-scale fisheries have, and will play, in local and global food systems.
Assessing the delivery of ecosystem services and benefits to human well-being of three contrasting MPAs in Spain
(Resilience Alliance, 2024) Pita Orduna, Pablo; Castro, Antonio J.; Santiago Meijide, Jose A. de; Expósito Granados, Mónica; García Allut, Antonio; Méndez Martínez, Gonzalo; Molina Urruela, Jone; Seijo, Javier; Tubío, Ana; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
Marine and coastal ecosystems are indispensable for life on Earth, providing vital functions and serving as a significant source of prosperity for humanity. These ecosystems contribute to the generation of Marine Ecosystem Services (MES), encompassing the benefits derived from marine environments, which are pivotal for economic prosperity and societal well-being. Nonetheless, these valuable ecosystems are facing severe degradation due to various human-induced pressures. In response to this challenge, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have emerged as crucial tools advocated by numerous international policies to counteract the adverse impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems. Despite the diverse array of MPAs characterized by varying levels of protection, there remains a dearth of understanding regarding their disparities in providing all forms of MES and their implications for human well-being. Through a comprehensive analysis involving scientific literature, gray literature, and press news, this research scrutinizes the role of MPAs in generating benefits and addressing conflicts arising from MES provision. The main disciplines involved, text orientation, methodologies, and key results of the publications were assessed. Moreover, benefits to people, conflicts between stakeholders, and emotions and sentiments related to MES supply in three selected Spanish MPAs (the Atlantic Islands of Galicia Maritime-Terrestrial National Park, the Os Miñarzos Marine Reserve of Fishing Interest, and the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park) were identified and analyzed. This allowed for comparisons with their respective levels of protection. The findings reveal that conservation efforts within MPAs contribute significantly to scientific knowledge generation while concurrently supporting human well-being through food security, economic growth, and employment opportunities, particularly in the tourism and fisheries sectors. However, these sectors also engender conflicts concerning conservation policies and resource utilization. The study underscores that the level of protection is a crucial feature, alongside the governance structure and proximity to population centers and tourism hotspots, in determining the delivery of MES by MPAs and their influence on human welfare. The adoption of co-management strategies and the promotion of ecotourism initiatives within MPAs emerge as viable approaches to mitigate conflicts and optimize the provision of high-quality MES, thereby enhancing human well-being. The insights gleaned from this research offer valuable guidance for scientists, managers, and policymakers in fostering the conservation of marine biodiversity through the strategic management and design of MPA networks geared towards maximizing the distribution of benefits for human well-being.
The seeds’ substrate: a concept to understand how transformations toward Good Anthropocenes can be enabled
(Resilience Alliance, 2025) Gianelli, Ignacio; Trimble, Micaela; Juri, Silvana; Pereira, Laura M.; González Mon, Blanca; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Economía Aplicada
The importance of connectedness in laying the ground for social-ecological transformations or in spreading new ideas and practices for transformation is increasingly recognized. However, the role of networks in supporting the emergence and growth of seeds (initiatives with the potential to positively shape the future) has not yet been comprehensively studied empirically. To this end, we introduce a novel concept, the seeds’ substrate, to characterize: (1) the relationships among a network of seeds, (2) the support needed for seeds to appropriately scale and coalesce, and (3) the actors that enable and provide support. The seeds’ substrate concept was theoretically informed and empirically derived by using a case study of an ongoing coalescing process. On this basis, we derived several categories and definitions for seeds interactions, types of support, and supporting actors that collectively constitute the seeds’ substrate. Specifically, we identified seven types of interactions between seeds, nine types of support, and 14 different categories of supporting actors. Furthermore, we presented a multi-level network approach to analyze the seeds’ substrate and test specific hypotheses within this modeling approach. By putting the seeds’ substrate concept into practice in an ongoing coalescence process involving 11 seeds around the small-scale fisheries food system in Uruguay, we identified the network of seeds and the constellations of actors and interactions that preceded efforts to deliberately foster a seed coalition. This allowed us to anticipate synergies and conflicts and to identify key supporting actors that structure the seed substrate. In addition, we derived a comprehensive baseline against which to quantitatively compare the unfolding of the coalescence process over time. This paper contributes to filling a gap in the Seeds of Good Anthropocenes literature and unpacks a key but largely unexplored subprocess of its theory of change: the transition from periods of experimentation to periods of coalescence. We expect the seeds’ substrate concept to be useful in a wide and diverse range of social-ecological contexts
Unveiling the hidden hands: Analysis of corporate ownership of industrial tuna fishing vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean
(Elsevier, 2025) Kinds, Arne; Lazzari, Natali; Skerritt, Daniel J.; Ainsworth, Gillian B.; Carvalho, Adriana Rosa; Roumbedakis, Katina; Majluf, Patricia; Palomares, Maria Lourdes; Sumaila, Ussif Rashid; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Economía Aplicada; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
Distant-water fishing (DWF) refers to fishing operations conducted by companies in waters beyond their national exclusive economic zones (EEZs), often targeting the EEZs of other coastal states or international waters. Research on DWF typically emphasizes the flag states of vessels, rather than the nationalities of the corporations that own them, despite evidence of efforts to obscure ownership. This paper examines the corporate owners of 1648 industrial and semi-industrial tuna fishing vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) using Orbis data, analyzing ownership at three levels: flag state, direct corporate owners, and ultimate corporate owners. Results show that flag state data alone understate the true fishing capacity of key DWF nations. Shifts in ownership nationality across levels are significant, notably for Taiwanese and Spanish corporations owning vessels through proxies in the Global South. These ownership shifts impact 6 % of vessels and 14 % of gross tonnage in the registered EPO tuna fleet. Furthermore, spatial analysis using Global Fishing Watch data highlights the Galapagos Islands EEZ as a critical fishing zone, frequently accessed by foreign fishing corporations through Ecuadorian intermediaries. This study underscores the need to incorporate ownership data into fisheries governance for greater transparency and accountability. The systematic collection and analysis of ownership data would allow fisheries managers to better monitor capacity, address power concentration, and promote policies that ensure fairer distribution of resources and benefits.
The costs of subsidies and externalities of economic activities driving nature decline
(Springer, 2025) Reyes García, Victoria; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Benessaiah, Karina; Pandit, Ram; Agrawal, Arun; Claudet, Joachim; Garibaldi, Lucas A.; Kabisa, Mulako; Pereira, Laura; Zinngrebe, Yves; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica
Economic sectors that drive nature decline are heavily subsidized and produce large environmental externalities. Calls are increasing to reform or eliminate subsidies and internalize the environmental costs of these sectors. We compile data on subsidies and externalities across six sectors driving biodiversity loss—agriculture, fossil fuels, forestry, infrastructure, fisheries and aquaculture, and mining. The most updated estimates suggest that subsidies to these sectors total between US$1.7 and US$3.2 trillion annually, while environmental externalities range between US$10.5 and US$22.6 trillion annually. Moreover, data gaps suggest that these figures underestimate the global magnitude of subsidies and externalities. We discuss the need and opportunities of building a baseline to account for the costs of subsidies and externalities of economic activities driving nature decline. A better understanding of the complexity, size, design, and effects of subsidies and externalities of such economic sectors could facilitate and expedite discussions to strengthen multilateral rules for their reform.
Beyond tipping points: risks, equity, and the ethics of intervention
(Copernicus Publications, 2025-08-04) Pereira, Laura M.; Smith, Steven R.; Gifford, Lauren; Newell, Peter; Villasante Larramendi, Carlos Sebastián; Achieng, Therezah; Castro, Azucena; Constantino, Sara M.; Powell, Tom; Ghadiali, Ashish; Smith, Ben; Coleen Vogel; Zimm, Caroline; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Fundamentos da Análise Económica; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Ambientais (CRETUS)
Earth system tipping points pose existential threats to current and future generations, both human and non-human, with those least responsible for causing them facing the greatest risks. “Positive” social tipping points (that we shorten to positive tipping points, or PTPs) are often deliberate interventions into social systems with the aim of rapidly mitigating the risks of Earth system tipping. However, the desire to intervene should neither increase risks nor perpetuate unjust or inequitable outcomes through the creation of sacrifice zones. In this paper, we argue that considerations of what needs to change, who is being asked to change, and where and by whom the impacts of change will be felt are fundamental and normative questions that require reflexivity and systemic understanding of decision-making across scales. All actors have a role to play in ensuring that justice, equity, and ethics are carefully considered before any intervention. Enabling positive tipping points for radical transformations would thus benefit from more diverse perspectives, with a particular emphasis on the inclusion of marginalized voices in offering solutions. We conclude that taking a cautious approach to positive tipping interventions, including careful consideration of distributional and unintended consequences, and stepping back to explore all options, not just those appearing to offer a quick fix, could lead to more equitable and sustainable outcomes

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