As part of the energy transition, the high-voltage (HV) electricity grid often needs technical upgrading. These investments are not only associated with public benefits but also give rise to private concerns, such as the impact on property values. However, it is challenging to determine the value loss associated with an HV line crossing a real estate property, since characteristics such as age, size, and location of the property matter. In the Belgian context, compensation for property value losses resulting from public utility easements is legally recognized, but the amount is subject to debate. Thus, the research question we address in this study is how compensation should be determined and how it should depend on property characteristics. To provide a market and a citizen perspective, we assess the points of view of real estate experts and Belgian citizens, which we then relate to the current compensation scheme.

This paper introduces a generic hybrid methodology for assessing economic and environmental impacts along interconnected supply chain markets, considering both the material/product level and the market mechanisms that govern resource allocation. The methodology is illustrated by considering a competitive market and benevolent social planner variant of a supply chain equilibrium (SCE) model, applied to the specific case of single -use and reusable plastic bottles in Belgium. The benevolent social planner optimises a societal welfare function that includes all relevant revenues and costs along the plastic bottle supply chains - including external environmental damage costs. These costs comprise climate damage and are incorporated into the SCE model by combining life cycle assessment data with economic data. The main advantage of this model setup is that it better represents policy reality because it allows to study the effectiveness and efficiency of the simultaneous implementation of multiple circular strategies, their interactions, and possible rebound effects. The findings indicate that when all climate costs are internalised simultaneously, the competitive market solution approaches that of the benevolent social planner. Yet, when policymakers have fewer instruments at their disposal in relation to the number of environmental externalities, the welfare impact of competitive market solutions is limited or even negative. Moreover, key circular economy practices such as material intensity reduction and green design are particularly lagging behind compared to their welfare-optimising levels.

This study estimates the impact of demand-side circular economy strategies on GHG emissions and selected critical raw materials across the life-cycle of the Belgian car fleet, focusing on lifetime extension, downsizing, and car-sharing. We built a detailed representative stock-flow model of the Belgian car fleet, tracking the stocks, flows, and impacts over a 40 year time horizon. There are three main contributions. Firstly, demand-side circular economy strategies could reduce global warming potential impacts by almost 13 %, with downsizing and carsharing being the most effective strategies. Secondly, unintended consequences are identified, such as lifetime extension slowing the transition to electric vehicles, increasing use phase impacts. Thirdly, a set of indicators are recommended to monitor these strategies. Other products and services could benefit from a similar dynamic stock-flow model to explore the life-cycle impacts of circular economy strategies.

We analyse the extent, growth and spatial distribution of knowledge-intensive employment in the Brussels Capital region and larger Brussels metropolitan area and compare it to its neighbouring geographical entities. We look at its impact on total employment, using both econometric and input-output analysis. Close to one out of two jobs in Brussels can be regarded as knowledge intensive. Over the period 2008-2020, the compound annual growth rate of knowledge-intensive employment was highest in the surrounding Brussels functional metropolitan area. A strong concentration of several knowledge services can be found in the Brussels metropolitan area, with different location patterns. Finance remains very central in the Brussels metropolitan areas, while others favour peripheral location, as it is the case for the pharmaceutical and accounting industry. A negative total employment growth rate differential between Brussels and the rest of Belgium is due to an industry-mix effect. Each additional knowledge intensive job in Brussels can be associated with the creation of another two jobs. For jobs generated by knowledge intensive sectors, forty percent of the extra employment within Brussels is accruing to less knowledge intensive labour.

We analyse the extent, growth and spatial distribution of knowledge-intensive employment in the Brussels Capital region and larger Brussels metropolitan area and compare it to its neighbouring geographical entities. We look at its impact on total employment, using both econometric and input-output analysis. Close to one out of two jobs in Brussels can be regarded as knowledge intensive. Over the period 2008-2020, the compound annual growth rate of knowledge-intensive employment was highest in the surrounding Brussels functional metropolitan area. A strong concentration of several knowledge services can be found in the Brussels metropolitan area, with different location patterns. Finance remains very central in the Brussels metropolitan areas, while others favour peripheral location, as it is the case for the pharmaceutical and accounting industry. A negative total employment growth rate differential between Brussels and the rest of Belgium is due to an industry-mix effect. Each additional knowledge intensive job in Brussels can be associated with the creation of another two jobs. For jobs generated by knowledge intensive sectors, forty percent of the extra employment within Brussels is accruing to less knowledge intensive labour.

We analyse the extent, growth and spatial distribution of knowledge-intensive employment in the Brussels Capital region and larger Brussels metropolitan area and compare it to its neighbouring geographical entities. We look at its impact on total employment, using both econometric and input-output analysis. Close to one out of two jobs in Brussels can be regarded as knowledge intensive. Over the period 2008-2020, the compound annual growth rate of knowledge-intensive employment was highest in the surrounding Brussels functional metropolitan area. A strong concentration of several knowledge services can be found in the Brussels metropolitan area, with different location patterns. Finance remains very central in the Brussels metropolitan areas, while others favour peripheral location, as it is the case for the pharmaceutical and accounting industry. A negative total employment growth rate differential between Brussels and the rest of Belgium is due to an industry-mix effect. Each additional knowledge intensive job in Brussels can be associated with the creation of another two jobs. For jobs generated by knowledge intensive sectors, forty percent of the extra employment within Brussels is accruing to less knowledge intensive labour.

We analyse the extent, growth and spatial distribution of knowledge-intensive employment in the Brussels Capital region and larger Brussels metropolitan area and compare it to its neighbouring geographical entities. We look at its impact on total employment, using both econometric and input-output analysis. Close to one out of two jobs in Brussels can be regarded as knowledge intensive. Over the period 2008-2020, the compound annual growth rate of knowledge-intensive employment was highest in the surrounding Brussels functional metropolitan area. A strong concentration of several knowledge services can be found in the Brussels metropolitan area, with different location patterns. Finance remains very central in the Brussels metropolitan areas, while others favour peripheral location, as it is the case for the pharmaceutical and accounting industry. A negative total employment growth rate differential between Brussels and the rest of Belgium is due to an industry-mix effect. Each additional knowledge intensive job in Brussels can be associated with the creation of another two jobs. For jobs generated by knowledge intensive sectors, forty percent of the extra employment within Brussels is accruing to less knowledge intensive labour.

We analyse the extent, growth and spatial distribution of knowledge-intensive employment in the Brussels Capital region and larger Brussels metropolitan area and compare it to its neighbouring geographical entities. We look at its impact on total employment, using both econometric and input-output analysis. Close to one out of two jobs in Brussels can be regarded as knowledge intensive. Over the period 2008-2020, the compound annual growth rate of knowledge-intensive employment was highest in the surrounding Brussels functional metropolitan area. A strong concentration of several knowledge services can be found in the Brussels metropolitan area, with different location patterns. Finance remains very central in the Brussels metropolitan areas, while others favour peripheral location, as it is the case for the pharmaceutical and accounting industry. A negative total employment growth rate differential between Brussels and the rest of Belgium is due to an industry-mix effect. Each additional knowledge intensive job in Brussels can be associated with the creation of another two jobs. For jobs generated by knowledge intensive sectors, forty percent of the extra employment within Brussels is accruing to less knowledge intensive labour.

In order to stimulate recycling, a clever mix of policy instruments is needed because of the interacting external effects, the possibility of illegal disposal, and imperfectly competitive markets. This chapter focuses on economic instruments like recycled content standards, taxes on virgin materials, waste disposal fees, recycling subsidies, deposit-refund or extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, and tradable recycling certificates. The literature offers support for the implementation of EPR even though this instrument has disadvantages such as transaction costs and static targets. Other instruments such as virgin material taxes and disposal fees should be used with care. Although they have proven their effectiveness in the past, they can lead to unintended side effects, such as illegal disposal and pollution displacement. Little motivation has been found to use economic instruments to alleviate material scarcity. Rather, economic instruments should be used primarily to limit environmental damage in the extraction, production, and waste treatment phase.

The circular economy (CE) has gained prominence in recent years in government and business policies, as well as academic research. Yet, its alleged wholesomeness is increasingly questioned and few quantitative studies include both the outer (e.g. recycling) and inner circles (e.g. reduce or reuse), respectively the ex-ante least and most efficient CE strategies. By developing a supply chain equilibrium model, based on general equilibrium theory, this paper presents a modelling framework where a product-service system is introduced as a circular alternative to conventional products. Through generalised prices that cover inner and outer circle variables, targeted economic and fiscal policy measures affect overall price levels and, by consequence, operational levels of the supply chain. The rationale behind this approach relies on combining material and economic efficiency by integrating material/product life cycles with market interactions. To illustrate its performance, the model examines the rollout of a reusable plastic bottle initiative in Belgium. The results show that if circular products are perceived as substitutes for conventional products, well-targeted policies can reduce material use substantially. Furthermore, coordinating circular policies along the supply chain can improve their outcomes. However, the absence of CE data impedes model development and risks undermining the validity of the results.

Based on a survey of 2,106 individuals, this study aims to get a better understanding of the attitudes toward carsharing in Flanders, Belgium. Several drivers and barriers that influence household decisions to participate in a carsharing system are identified. An ordinal logit model reveals that highly educated, younger males with high ecological concerns are more likely to share cars. It is shown that living in a rural environment or owning a company car are important barriers. A parking policy aimed at discouraging private car use while stimulating sustainable mobility choices appears to be an interesting avenue for future research.

The COVID-19 pandemic induces the worst economic downturn since the Second World War, requiring governments to design large-scale recovery plans to overcome this crisis. This paper quantitatively assesses the potential of government investments in eco-friendly construction projects to boost the economy and simultaneously realise environmental gains through reduced energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions. The analysis uses a Computable General Equilibrium model that examines the macroeconomic impact of the COVID-19 crisis in a small open economy (Belgium). Subsequently, the impact of the proposed policy is assessed through comparative analysis for macroeconomic parameters as well as CO2 equivalent emissions for four scenarios. Our findings demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic damages economies considerably, however, the reduction in emissions is less than proportionate. Still, well-designed public policies can reverse this trend, achieving both economic growth and a disproportionally large decrease in emissions. Moreover, the positive effect of such a decoupling policy on GDP is even stronger during the pandemic than compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. This is the result of a targeted, investment-induced green transition towards low energy-intensive economic activities. Finally, this paper describes how the net effect on the government budget is positive through the indirect gains of the economic uptake.

Today construction and demolition waste (CDW) is mostly reused for low-value applications, such as backfilling material or low-quality aggregates for road construction. However, new recycling opportunities are currently attracting a considerable interest of the construction industry, such as the possibility of using CDW as high-quality aggregates in road construction. In addition to the technical challenges, the success of new recycling processes also depends on their environmental sustainability and economic viability. By using an environmental life-cycle assessment (LCA) and an economic life-cycle costing (LCC) analysis to compare different end-of-life alternatives for CDW, the chapter highlights the environmental and economic drivers in CDW management. The combination of environmental and economic results can indeed provide more informed support for policymakers.

Private car-use is a major contributor of greenhouse gases. Car-sharing is often hypothesised as a potential solution to reduce car-ownership, which can lead to car-sharing users reducing their car-use. However, there is a risk that car-sharing may also increase car-use amongst some users. Existing studies on the impacts of car-sharing on car-use are often based on estimates of the users’ own judgement of the effects; few studies make use of quasi-experimental methods. In this paper, the impact of car-sharing on car-ownership and car-use in Flanders, Belgium is estimated using survey data from both sharers and non-sharers. The impact on car-use is estimated using zero-inflated negative binomial regression, applied to matched samples of car-sharing users and non-users. The results show that the car-sharing may reduce car-use, but only if a significant number of users reduce their car-ownership. Policy intervention may therefore be required to ensure car-sharing leads to a reduction in car-use by, for example, discouraging car-ownership. Further research using quasi-experimental methods is required to illuminate whether the promise of car-sharing is reflected in reality.

This paper analyses in a systematic way the effect of benefit and cost parameter heterogeneity on the stability and effectiveness of International Environmental Agreements. Compared to existing literature, we consider a more general form of heterogeneity, different functional forms and alternative collective decision making processes in coalitions with and without transfers. Using systematic numerical simulations and novel visualization techniques, we show that transfers are crucial to overcome heterogeneity both in terms of stability and effectiveness. Without, or with limited transfers heterogeneous coalitions are often unstable and ineffective. More research on less than ideal transfer schemes and collective decision making rules is necessary to bridge the gap between theoretical models and the reality of international negotiations on transboundary pollution problems. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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The increasing focus on circular economy at the level of governments and policy requires the development of appropriate indicators to effectively monitor the progress towards the circular economy. Currently two very different types of indicator areas are under development: (i) monitoring frameworks based on macro indicators that summarize the progress at (supra)national level, and (ii) micro indicators tailored towards assessing circularity at the level of products. It is not possible to obtain sufficiently direct feedback about the impact of policy interventions by either macro or micro indicators alone. In this paper, a conceptual approach is developed that aims to bridge the gap between the micro and macro level with meso level indicators, and thus ultimately deliver more direct feedback for policymakers, via the insertion of an extra level of meso indicators in between the macro and the micro level. These indicators have been extracted from a dedicated workshop that involved policy, sector and societal stakeholders. The aim of these indicators is to report on progress towards circular economy objectives based on the fulfillment of societal needs. In this way the consumption perspective is given a central position, and the role of circular business models is acknowledged. Following the development of the concept, the next steps towards tailored, flexible and agile monitoring frameworks for circular economy at (supra)national and regional level are outlined. The paper concludes with an illustrative example of the framework applied to the mobility system.