Collaborative Research: Technological Shocks and Institutional Effectiveness under Heterogeneous Risk

合作研究：异质风险下的技术冲击和制度有效性

• 批准号: 1851834
• 负责人: Benjamin Farrer
• 金额: $ 8.88万
• 依托单位: Knox College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-05-01 至 2023-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1851834&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Technological; Shocks; Institutional

How effective are existing regulations are at managing the risks from high volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF), also known as ?fracking?? HVHF is a technique for producing oil and gas from shale formations that has revolutionized the domestic energy landscape. In the U.S., states are the primary regulators of oil and gas production, so there is variation in the types of and effectiveness of regulations in-use. Many of these regulations were enacted in the early-to-mid 1900s and were designed to manage conventional oil and gas production. Given the rapid expansion of HVHF across the country, this project asks whether these regulations are still appropriate, given the differences between conventional and HVHF production techniques. To answer this, the project first develops a cross-state database of regulations in-use to manage oil and gas production, which will be available online for the public, state regulators, journalists, and academics to explore how different states manage oil and gas production and how effective those regulations are. Second, the project engages landowners in focus groups to better understand the perspectives of people impacted, both positively and negatively, by the HVHF boom. Third, the project uses a series of laboratory economic experiments to advance scholarly understanding, in a controlled setting, of how different regulations incentivize individuals? decisions on whether to lease their oil and gas rights for production.Scholars have long been interested in the linkages between governance institutions and the sustainability of common-pool resources (CPR), of which oil and gas are canonical examples. Institutions that facilitate efficient collective action are often seen as the best hope for a solution to the tragedy of the commons, and the long-endurance of institutions is often viewed as a best-case scenario. However, long-enduring institutions also lock participants in to a particular path that may or may not be efficient when exogenous changes occur. This project expands on the intellectual tradition of CPR scholars, by examining how a solution to a CPR dilemma today can exacerbate a different CPR dilemma tomorrow. The problem with such institutions is not necessarily the possibility of resource collapse (i.e. a tragedy of the commons), but rather of continued action in the face of substantially changed circumstances. CPR governance institutions can continue to be used to facilitate collective action, long after collective action ceases to be efficient or equitable for the group. Previously stable and efficient institutions may now have the effect of redistributing rents from those who are least vulnerable to the new risks introduced by an exogenous shock to those who are most vulnerable. This insight is a significant contribution to literature on institutions and decision-making.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

现有法规在管理大容量水力压裂 (HVHF)（也称为“水力压裂”）风险方面的效果如何？ HVHF 是一种从页岩地层中生产石油和天然气的技术，彻底改变了国内能源格局。在美国，各州是石油和天然气生产的主要监管者，因此所使用的法规的类型和有效性各不相同。其中许多法规是在 1900 年代初至中期颁布的，旨在管理常规石油和天然气生产。鉴于 HVHF 在全国范围内的迅速扩张，考虑到传统和 HVHF 生产技术之间的差异，该项目询问这些法规是否仍然合适。为了回答这个问题，该项目首先开发了一个用于管理石油和天然气生产的跨州法规数据库，该数据库将在线供公众、州监管机构、记者和学者使用，以探索不同州如何管理石油和天然气生产以及这些法规的有效性。其次，该项目让土地所有者参与焦点小组，以更好地了解受高压高频热潮影响的人们的观点，无论是积极还是消极。第三，该项目利用一系列实验室经济实验，在受控环境下推进学术理解，了解不同的法规如何激励个人？学者们长期以来一直对治理机构与公共资源（CPR）可持续性之间的联系感兴趣，其中石油和天然气就是典型的例子。促进有效集体行动的制度通常被视为解决公地悲剧的最佳希望，而制度的长期存在通常被视为最好的情况。然而，持久的制度也会将参与者锁定在一条特定的路径上，当发生外生变化时，这条路径可能有效也可能无效。该项目通过研究今天 CPR 困境的解决方案如何加剧明天不同的 CPR 困境，扩展了 CPR 学者的知识传统。这些机构的问题不一定是资源崩溃的可能性（即公地悲剧），而是在面临重大变化的情况下继续采取行动。即使集体行动对团体不再有效或公平很久之后，CPR 治理机构仍可继续用于促进集体行动。以前稳定和高效的机构现在可能会产生重新分配租金的效果，即从那些最容易受到外生冲击给最脆弱群体带来的新风险影响的群体中重新分配租金。这一见解对有关机构和决策的文献做出了重大贡献。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。