http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/7875 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:54:28 GMT 2013-06-19T06:54:28Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79207 Energy at the Frontier : low carbon energy system transitions and innovation in four prime mover countries Araújo, Kathleen M All too often, discussion about the imperative to change national energy pathways revolves around long timescales and least cost economics of near-term energy alternatives. While both elements certainly matter, they don't fully reflect what can drive such development trajectories. This study explores national energy transitions by examining ways in which four prime mover countries of low carbon energy technology shifted away from fossil fuels, following the first global oil crisis of 1973. The research analyzes the role of readiness, sectoral contributions, and adaptive policy in the scale-up and innovations of advanced, alternative energy technologies. Cases of Brazilian biofuels, Danish wind power, French nuclear power and Icelandic geothermal energy are evaluated for a period of four decades. Fundamentally, the research finds that significant change can occur in under 15 years; that technology complexity need not impede change; and that countries of varying governance approaches and consumption levels effectuated such transitions. This research also underscores how low carbon energy technologies may be adopted before they are competitive and then become competitive in the process. Thesis (Ph. D. in International Energy and Environmental Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references. Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79207 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79201 Three papers on input-ouput [sic] energy and environmental accounting Huang, Sonya (Sonya Y.) The input-output model, a framework for national accounting and economic modeling, has been popular among regional economists for studying energy and emissions due to its focus on interindustry linkages. In a series of three papers, we apply the input-output model to three different aspects of fossil-fuel energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, using two temporally extensive datasets. In the first paper, we construct detailed energy and emissions accounts of the United States from 1972 to 2002, and analyze the resulting time series from perspectives of household consumption and industrial production. The resulting accounts suggest that despite an overall decrease in energy intensity over the study period, the decrease was uneven across industry sectors and consumption goods, especially between manufacturing and services. In the second paper, we perform a structural decomposition of CO² emissions growth in 36 countries over the years 1995-2009, using a newly published dataset. We compare the relative contributions to emissions growth from industrial efficiency improvements, interindustry linkage structure, and final demand levels and composition. We find that industrial efficiency and final demand predictably work against each other, but which effect dominates depends on geographic region. Analysis of specific energy-intensive industries sheds more light on the reasons for the geographic variation in emissions growth. In the third paper, we focus on embodied CO² emissions in trade, using the same dataset as the second paper. Predictably, countries in the European Union tend to import more embodied emissions than they export, while large developing countries such as China, Russia, and India export more than they import. However, we find more nuanced trends in resource-rich developed countries including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. In particular, the United States became a net exporter of embodied CO² emissions only recently, which may mean that the relevance of the topic of emissions abatement responsibility to the United States has shifted in recent years. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013.; CD contains files with numerous source codes.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-170). Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79201 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79199 Essays on housing, education, and inequality Shamsuddin, Shomon (Shomon Shamsuddin) According to standard economic theory, more people will obtain postsecondary education in response to the rising college wage premium. However, students from low income families remain less likely to earn a college degree than high income students, even controlling for academic preparation. My dissertation provides empirical evidence on the puzzle of low college attainment among low income students. First, I estimate the effects of motivational qualities on college graduation by performing multivariate regression analysis using National Education Longitudinal Study data. I find that motivational qualities measured in 8th grade, i.e. causally prior to postsecondary participation, predict college degree completion, independent of grades and demographic characteristics. Further, the positive impact is concentrated among disadvantaged students. Second, I examine if students possess adequate information about college preparation and the application process by conducting observations and over 50 interviews with high school guidance counselors, advisors, and students in public schools serving poor neighborhoods. I find that students are familiar with college applications but they are unaware of their own academic performance and lack context to make effective use of college guidance. Third, I identify the causal effect of college selectivity on degree completion by using National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data and instrumental variable estimation. I find that attendance at selective public universities increases the probability of graduation, controlling for grades and family background. This dissertation contributes to the literature by identifying the role of motivational qualities on college outcomes, increasing our understanding of student information about college, and assessing the impact of college quality on degree completion. The results have important public policy implications: 1) colleges can both improve graduation rates and increase student diversity by attaching more weight to motivation qualities in the admissions process, 2) schools must instill strong academic habits earlier so students can obtain higher grades and benefit from college guidance, and 3) students should enroll in the most selective colleges they are qualified to attend. Understanding the barriers to higher education for low income students is essential for increasing the proportion of college graduates and improving individual socioeconomic mobility, urban revitalization, and national economic competitiveness. Thesis (Ph. D. in Urban Policy and Planning)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references. Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79199 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78824 Intermediate public transportation for developing countries - case study : Bandung, Indonesia Soegijoko, Budhy Tjahjati Sugijanto Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1982.; MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH; Bibliography: leaves 323-330. Fri, 01 Jan 1982 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78824 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z