NEW INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURE COPING WITH THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF SHIFTING PRODUCTION TO BATTERY-BASED ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN TOYOHASHI IN JAPAN – A CGE MODELING APPROACH-

Shamsunnahar KHANAM

School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan

shamsunnahar_khanam@yahoo.com

Yuzuru MIYATA

School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan

miyata@ace.tut.ac.jp

Abstract

After nearly a century with the internal combustion engine dominating the personal transportation sector, it now appears that the demands of Battery-based Electric Vehicles (BEVs) production are on the verge of experiencing rapid growth in Japan vehicle market. The broad-scale adoption of the BEVs could bring significant changes for our society in terms of moving the economics away from petroleum and lessoning the environmental footprint of transportation. However as Japanese economy strongly depends on the automobile industry, shifting production systems in the automobile industries influence not only the automobile industry but also other industries. Especially industrial regions where automobile firms are concentrated like in Toyohashi city in Japan will be affected by new production system. Thus, it is worth to acquaint with a new industrial structure for preventing the shortcoming by shifting production. In essence, this paper provides a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to investigate the economic repercussion of BEVs production in the automobile industries, afterward suggests a new industrial formation to cope with the change of production system to BEVs in Toyohashi city in Japan. The most important database for CGE model calibration is a social accounting matrix (SAM). However input-output (I-O) table and the SAM are not available in Toyohashi city, thus the I-O table and SAM are also estimated in this study.

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THE GEOPOLITICAL IMPACT OF THE SYRIAN CRISIS ON LEBANON

Ioannis Th. MAZIS

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Turkish Studies and Modern Asian studies

mazis@her.forthnet.gr

Michalis SARLIS

RSI Journal

info@rsijournal.eu

Abstract

This paper identifies and analyses the geopolitical impact that the Syrian crisis has on Lebanon. This impact is manifested in two forms: a subsystemic one (within the Syria-Lebanon subsystem) and a systemic one (exerted from the system of the wider Middle East). The first refers to the direct repercussions that the increasing instability of the Syrian part has on the Lebanese part of the subsystem. More specifically, the impact that have some factors of the Syrian crisis –namely, increasing sectarianism and Islamic radicalism- on the internal political and religious power relations of Lebanon.

The second form of impact refers to the indirect yet critical repercussions that the instability at the centre of the Middle Eastern system has on Lebanon. As a state of proxy actors through which the regional powers project power and as an integral part of the Syria-Lebanon subsystem, Lebanon is the primary point on which the systemic pressure is applied. As a result of this systemic impact, the internal politico-religious power relations of Lebanon become a micro-level representation of the regional power relations of the wider Middle Eastern system.


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ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE SOCIETY IN TOYOHASHI CITY, JAPAN-ACGE MODELLING APPROACH

Yuzuru MIYATA

Graduate School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology

miyata@ace.tut.ac.jp

Hiroyuki SHIBUSAWA

Graduate School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology

hiro-shibu@tut.jp

Shamsunnahar KHANAM

Graduate School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology

shamsunnahar_khanam@yahoo.com

Abstract:

In this paper we explore economic impact of promotion and realization of an electric vehicle society (EVS). More concretely, this paper emphasizes on a computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelling approach to evaluate the following issues: economic impacts of subsidies for promotion of an EVS, the possibility of prices reduction, industrial structure change towards an EVS,  and model shift occurs towards an EVS.

Our simulation results demonstrate that after applying 20% subsidies to five industries, such as electric vehicles (EVs) manufacturing and transhipment, solar, cogeneration, and other transhipment the total industrial output and city GDP increase. A large growth rate is found in industries where subsidies are introduced alone with non-ferrous metal industry. However, it is motivating that decreasing proportions are found in oil, coal product, mining, heat supply and gasoline vehicles (GVs) transhipment industries.

Moreover, all the commodity prices decrease though in industries where subsidies are presented prices shrink appreciably. Hence, Toyohashi City’s economy shows a direction where the demand for conventional vehicles and energy use are decreased, conversely, the demand for EVs and renewable energy are increased that displays different lifestyles from the current.

Thus, introducing 20% subsidies to EVs manufacturing and transhipment, solar, cogeneration, and other transhipment can really represent a realistic alternative society to EVS, both in terms of economic development and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction.  In this study therefore it is clear that model shift occurs to EVS, and thus we suggest for promotion of new industrial structure to introduce an EVS in Toyohashi city, Japan. The proposed model even can be expanded to the other cities in Japan and other countries in the world which are similar to this area.

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