The Effectiveness of Policy Instruments for Energy-Efficiency Improvement in Firms

The Netherlands and some neighbouring countries in Europe have implemented a variety of policy instruments since 1990. These include investment subsidies, voluntary agreements on energy-efficiency, direct regulation and taxes. How effective are these measures? This book presents improved theoretical insight in the investment behaviour of firms, and moreover it provides a wealth of empirical results on the effectiveness of policy instruments. It discusses issues such as free-rider effects of subsidies, the credibility of voluntary agreements, the art of regulation and the fate of RandD money. It tells stories of success, but also stories of failure.